Hello. I have question . How can I find which pins control steppers on ramps 1.4 and how can I actually run steppers using ramps 1.4?
I have 12V power suppply with 30amps and I use arduino mega 2560.
Thanks for every advice
You need to provide datasheets for the stepper. Al most all steppers need a driver. Maximum current from Mega I/O pins is 20 mA.
What is "ramps 1.4"?
Good power supply but the best is to feed the controller, as well as other devices with 5 volt. The built in 5 volt converter in the Mega will not be useful if the Mega runs from 12 volt.
ramps 1.4 is shield for mega 2560. You can connect there display, stepper motors , heaters, fans, endstops and more . However my problem is that I found schematics of ramps 1.4 and I still don´t know to which pins are connected stepper motors through ramps 1.4 to mega 2560.
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Xstep = A0, Xdir = A1, Xenable = 38
Ystep = A6, Ydir = A7, Yenable = A2
Zstep = 46, Zdir = 49, Zenable = A8
Extruders
E0step = 26, E0dir = 28, E0enable = 24
E1step = 36, E1dir = 34, E1ensble = 30
Use the AccelStepper library, MobaTools stepper library or the library of your choice to control the stepper motors. If you want high speeds you will need to use acceleration to achieve those speeds. AccelStepper and MobaTools stepper have functions that enable acceleration. Both of those libraries are available through the IDE library manager. I find that the MobaTools stepper library is a bit easier to learn though, perhaps, not as powerful as AccelStepper.
The Stepper library that comes with the IDE will not work with step/dir type drivers.
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Thanks man for everything.
Btw there are 4 pins for steppers aren't they? Are 4th is ground?
Sounds like you have the wrong type of steppers. The 28BYJ unipolar steppers with the ULN2003 4 wire drivers will not work with the Ramps 1.4 shield. For the Ramps shield you need step/dir current control drivers like the A4988 or DRV8825 stepper drivers (or similar). Those are 2 wire (plus optional enable) drivers.
The right stepper motors would be the bipolar steppers like the NEMA17 size that are popular for 3D printers. Choose a motor based on the amount of torque that your application requires. Pololu has a nice selection of bipolar steppers. Other sources that I have used are Amazon and Ebay for less expensive (but not as well supported after sale) than Pololu motors.
I know of no way to use 4 wire drivers with the Ramps shield.
Oh okay I have stepper motor NEMA 17 . I know that there are two "+" and two "-" cables, but I 'm new to steppers so my bad.
Sorry, I was confused. I thought that you meant that the stepper drivers were 4 wires, not the steppers.
What stepper drivers do you have to go into the Ramps shield?
Robin2's basic stepper tutorial may be of interest.
Thanks for tutorial . I use A4988 (should be right number i don't have driver in hand right now).
The A4988 is a good driver for bipolar steppers with up to 1A coil current, 1.5A with heat sink and active (fan) cooling.
It is imperative that you properly set the coil current limit on the A4988 stepper driver before using the motor. The coil current should be found in the motor data sheet. Set the current to less than or equal to the spec current. To set the current limit you will need to know the value of the sense resistor on the A4988 driver board. Then enter the value of the resistor and the required coil current into the formula Vref = Imot x 8 x Rsen where Imot = the coil current and Rsen = the value of the sense resistor. The Pololu A4988 page covers how to set the Vref but you must use the sense resistor value on YOUR board. This page shows how to locate the sense resistor.
Okay, but I actually bought cnc Kit and there is ramps 1.4 and drivers to it, so aren't they ready for what I want?
There is absolutely no guarantee that the coil current limit is set properly. Not setting the coil current properly can damage the driver and/or the motor. You really need to check it and make sure that it is right.
You do not have to set the coil current limit to the maximum for the motor. If you set the limit lower than maximum, the driver and motor will run cooler and last longer.
Thanks man. Good to know .
And last thing . Could you tell me which library would work with rep rap discount Smart controller Lcd 128x64?
I used the U8g2lib library for a simple game that I wrote with that display.
The constructor that I used:
U8G2_ST7920_128X64_F_SW_SPI u8g2(U8G2_R0, 23, 38, 39, U8X8_PIN_NONE);
Change the pins to match or choose the constructor that better fits your display. See the examples that come with the library.
Don't know if that will work with your display, but that is what the LCD that I have uses.
where are those constructors and where can I find how to use them?
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