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I have a 3A 5V bipolar stepper motor, which I would like to run at 40V. Running stepper motors at high voltage is okay as long as the current is capped. To cap the current I need to have a chopping circuit using PWM. On top of that, since the motor's load can vary, I need to have it as a closed circuit that senses amps and changes the width of PWM.

I researched this for a while and cannot seem to find the right driver IC to use for this. The highest rated ones I found are 2.8A. I am okay with using Arduino to control PWM and building a custom driver using the likes of TIP120s.

Does anyone know of a driver IC that can do this, or suggest a schematic? Thank you.

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One possible solution to this is to use two L298 DUAL FULL-BRIDGE DRIVER ICs wired in parallel. For instructions on the correct way to do this, refer to "APPLICATIONS OF MONOLITHIC BRIDGE DRIVERS" page 2, the section titled "PARALLELING OUTPUTS". The L298 will allow supply voltages up to 46V and the parallel combination is recommended for stepper motors up to 3.5A

To control the L298, consider using the L297 STEPPER MOTOR CONTROLLER which will handle the chopper-drive control better than you can do with the Arduino.

There are reference schematics in the datasheets and application note referenced above.

You can use your Arduino to handle the step and direction (/CLOCK and CW/CCW) signals to the L297. Be aware that to run your motors at the highest speeds, you will need to ramp-up and ramp-down the step rates in order to accelerate and decelerate the motor. You will also need to limit any "jitter" in the step (clock) timing as much as possible or the motor may slip (lose steps) or not turn at all. This "jitter" is often caused by latency due to other interrupts. This may be improved by keeping interrupt routines short and (even better) giving your stepper motor timer interrupt the highest priority (not sure if that is possible as I have no experience with Arduinos).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I am not totally sure about this, but doesn't the l297 have a low current rating? \$\endgroup\$
    – electricviolin
    Commented Aug 2, 2015 at 14:57
  • \$\begingroup\$ @electricviolin ... The L297 just controls the two L298s in this application which are the parallel h-bridges and handle the current. The L297 does not need to drive much current. There are more modern solutions to the OPs problem such as building a discreet h-bridge from Mosfets which should dissipate less heat. That said, this is a viable solution which I have used in the past (adequate heat-sinking required). Currently, this is the only answer which provides a complete solution that meets all of the OPs specs. \$\endgroup\$
    – Tut
    Commented Aug 5, 2015 at 10:18
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You could use the Toshiba TB6560, which is rated at 3A, however the abs. max supply voltage is 40V, so I would not use it beyond 36VDC.

It is a quite sophisticated chip with sinusoidal microstepping built in, so it could save you a quite a bit of work. The ZIP package shown below is quite convenient. enter image description here

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40A pk 43V high side switches are avail. http://www.infineon.com/dgdl/ITS436L2_20060328.pdf?folderId=db3a304412b407950112b408e8c90004&fileId=db3a304412b407950112b428cd263e7d

But I seriously doubt you need 40V to microstep or run fast as core losses will exceed winding losses at this level.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Its pretty common to use high voltage to drive steppers nowadays. My system uses 44v, works real nice. Higher voltage allows higher speed in steppers. \$\endgroup\$
    – Erik Friesen
    Commented Oct 16, 2013 at 1:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ A "5v" motor implies a relatively high inductance coil, so a high chopping supply voltage is going to be advisable if high step rates are desired - 40v may well be quite a bit less than desirable.. \$\endgroup\$
    – Chris Stratton
    Commented Oct 16, 2013 at 14:42

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