new to forum, apologize if this is not the right section.
I am looking at building a gauge set for an automotive application, from my understanding I would need 6 drivers as an uno board would not be able to run them all, however do not know where to start really
I would be running switec stepper motors. I am new to pcb building and coding and would love some guidance.
6 drivers for what kind of devices? 6 stepper motors? You need to be more specific.
I am looking at running 6 separate stepper motors for gauges (speedo/tach/voltage/etc). im wondering how I control all of these.
Each stepper driver needs 2 signals, direction and step. That calls for 6 * 2 outputs. An enable, for all steppers adds up to 13 outputs. An Arduino UNO has 14 digital I/O pins, 2 used by the USB, lives 12, and 6 analog pins that can be used. That ought to be enough if You don't plan for too many additional I/Os.
This is one of my 3-stepper running UNO program. Have a look!
sketch_stepper_d2-d8_halfstep_180605_serail_test.ino (4.12 KB)
Take a look at this site
https://guy.carpenter.id.au/gaugette/2017/04/29/switecx25-quad-driver-tests/
Makes driving 4 steppers easy , you could run two of these for your 6 you need.
Why would you use steppers and not servos for a gauge? Wouldn't a servo make a lot more sense since you have angular control over it?
Gauges tend to use stepper motors , partly for speed , partly for accuracy , cheap too- there is a range of automotive steppers for low cost .
Someone on here was developing a library especially for these motors
Most available steppers basicaly have 200 steps per revolution. Using stepper drivers it can be expanded to 400, 800, 1600 and even 3200 steps per revolution. Will that fullfill Your needs?