Pololu DRV8434 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier

This breakout board for TI’s DRV8434 microstepping bipolar stepper motor driver offers microstepping down to 1/256-step and operates from 4.5 V to 48 V. It can deliver up to approximately 1.2 A continuous per phase without a heat sink or forced air flow (2 A peak). The driver has inputs for setting the decay mode and includes two smart tune current regulation modes that help you achieve smooth steps without manual tuning. The module has a pinout and interface that are very similar to that of our popular A4988 carriers, so it can be used as a drop-in replacement for those boards in many applications. It features built-in protection against under-voltage, over-current, and over-temperature conditions.

Features:

• 4.5 V to 48 V supply voltage range (note: these are not recommended for use with 48V batteries, which can be well above nominal when fully charged)
• Can deliver up to 1.2 A continuous per phase without additional cooling (2 A peak)
• Built-in regulator (no external logic voltage supply needed)
• Can interface directly with 1.8 V, 3.3 V and 5 V systems
• Simple step and direction control interface
• Eleven different step resolutions: full-step with 100% current, full-step with 70% current, non-circular 1/2-step, 1/2-step, 1/4-step, 1/8-step, 1/16-step, 1/32-step, 1/64-step, 1/128-step, 1/256-step
• Adjustable current control lets you set the maximum current output, which lets you use voltages above your stepper motor’s rated voltage to achieve higher step rates
• Six decay modes including two smart tune current regulation modes that help you achieve smooth steps without manual tuning
• Over-temperature thermal shutdown, over-current protection, open load detection, under-voltage lockout, and charge pump over-voltage protection
• Driver IC integrates spread spectrum clocking of its internal oscillator and charge pump for reduced EMI
• 4-layer, 2 oz copper PCB for improved heat dissipation
• Exposed solderable ground pad below the driver IC on the bottom of the PCB
• Module size, pinout, and interface match those of our A4988 stepper motor driver carriers in most respects

Specifications:

• Minimum operating voltage: 4.5 V
• Maximum operating voltage: 48 V
• Continuous current per phase: 1.2 A
• Maximum current per phase: 2 A
• Minimum logic voltage: 1.8 V
• Maximum logic voltage: 5.5 V
• Microstep resolutions: full with 100% current, full with 70% current, non-circular 1/2, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, 1/128, 1/256
• Current limit control: potentiometer
• Reverse voltage protection?: N
• Header pins soldered?: N