I am attempting to power a NEMA stepper motor rated for 12 V at 2 A with an A4988 driver, rated for a max 2A. So far i have not been able to get the motor to work. After verifying, that my connections and code are good, i discovered that i was only getting 4 V across each of the motor coils, even though i had set the RCS to 2 A. I am using a cheap clone and not the Pololu version.
Is my chip fried or is this driver simply too small for my motor? What other driver could i use?
Maybe lower the RCS a little to give a margin of safety.
What is the PSU rated at for all this ?
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The A4988 driver can provide at most about 1 A/winding, without a chip heat sink and forced air cooling.
Be sure to set the current limit to 1A or below. How you do that will depend on the value of the current sense resistor installed.
jremington:
The A4988 driver can provide at most about 1 A/winding, without a chip heat sink and forced air cooling.Be sure to set the current limit to 1A or below. How you do that will depend on the value of the current sense resistor installed.
I have installed a heat sink and cooling system so i can use it at 2 A. However i am yet to have the chip hot enough to even need it because there is not enough current flowing through. Does this mean my chip broken. I am positive my RCS has been properly set as i identified my current sense resistor and used it in my calculations.
Would there be another stepper driver that can handle more current?
I am positive my RCS has been properly set as i identified my current sense resistor and used it in my calculations.
If it is not working, something is wrong. The very first things I, personally, would suspect are (1) the "cheap clone" (which could be a non- or partially functional counterfeit) and (2) my own mistakes, not necessarily in that order.
One of the advantages of buying from a very reputable company like Pololu is that they fully support their products.
Would there be another stepper driver that can handle more current?
Yes, of course. Your favorite search engine will find many.
lemonlemonlemon:
Would there be another stepper driver that can handle more current?
If you want to operate a 2 amp motor then I suggest getting a driver that can handle at least 3 amps. It is never a good idea to operate electronic equipment close to its max limit
...R