I have seen many posts about this topic but none that directly apply to what I am trying to do. I am trying to control two stepper motors using the following hardware:
My understanding is that the Stepper Shield NEEDS to be powered by an external power supply. Is this the case for what I am trying to do? If so, is this an acceptable power supply to be using? I am thinking it is not because I fried the Stepper Shield and am waiting for a replacement.
I have seen other posts that suggest using other shields/controllers instead of the Stepper Shield, but I wanted to use it because of how compact it is. Can I use the Stepper Shield to accomplish what I am trying to do?
The labeling on the stepper shield says "5-12V Motor Power". That would make a 24V supply unsuitable. The stepper driver chips are limited to 15V so even if the label is wrong the 24V would exceed the rated maximum voltage on the chips.
You could buy a 12V supply instead of the 24V one. Or you could use stepper drivers that can handle the higher voltage if your stepper motors are designed for 24V.
Thanks for the help. The steppers are rated at 12V 0.4A so would I even need to use a separate power supply for the shield or could I just use the barrel jack on the arduino and a 12V 1.25A power supply to power the shield and the arduino?
I have motors like those controlled with Pololu A4988 stepper drivers. It is a very good idea to use a 24v (or higher) supply with those motors. You can adjust the A4988 boards to limit the current to protect your motor.
