2971 - DRV8880 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier

This breakout board for TI’s DRV8880 microstepping bipolar stepper motor driver features adjustable current limiting, overcurrent and overtemperature protection, and six microstep resolutions (down to 1/16-step). In addition, the driver’s current limit can be dynamically reduced to save power, and it has an autotune feature that automatically selects the decay mode that results in the smoothest current waveform. The carrier has a pinout and interface that are nearly identical to those of our A4988 carriers, so it can be used as a drop-in replacement for those boards in many applications. The DRV8880 operates from 6.5 V to 45 V and can deliver up to approximately 1 A per phase continuously without a heat sink or forced air flow (up to 1.6 A peak). This board ships with 0.1″ male header pins included but not soldered in

This product is a carrier board or breakout board for TI’s DRV8880 low-voltage stepper motor driver; we therefore recommend careful reading of the DRV8880 datasheet (2MB pdf) before using this product. This stepper motor driver lets you control one bipolar stepper motor at up to 1.6 A output current per coil (see the Power Dissipation Considerations section below for more information). Here are some of the driver’s key features:

• Simple step and direction control interface
• Six different step resolutions: full-step, half-step, non-circular half-step, 1/4-step, 1/8-step, and 1/16-step
• Adjustable current control lets you set the maximum current output with a potentiometer, which lets you use voltages above your stepper motor’s rated voltage to achieve higher step rates
• Digital inputs for dynamically scaling the current limit to 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the limit set by the potentiometer, which lets you reduce power consumption in situations where full speed or torque is not required
• Ten different decay mode options:
  • AutoTune (enabled by default): automatically selects the decay mode each PWM cycle for optimal current regulation performance and to compensate for motor variation and aging effects
  • Fixed decay modes: nine different combinations of mixed, fast, and slow decay on increasing and decreasing steps
• 6.5 V to 45 V supply voltage range
• Built-in regulator (no external logic voltage supply needed)
• Can interface directly with 3.3 V and 5 V systems
• Over-temperature thermal shutdown, over-current shutdown, short circuit protection, and under-voltage lockout
• 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 (see the bottom of this page for more information)

This product ships with all surface-mount components—including the DRV8880 driver IC—installed as shown in the product picture.

For alternative, pin-compatible stepper motor drivers, consider our DRV8825 carrier, DRV8824 carrier, or DRV8834 carrier. The DRV8825 can deliver more current (1.5 A continuous per phase without additional cooling), and the DRV8834 operates down to 2.5 V, making it suitable for low-voltage applications.

Dimensions

General specifications

Identifying markings

Notes:

1 Without included optional headers.

2 Without a heat sink or forced air flow.

3 With sufficient additional cooling.

4 This driver works with 1.8 V to 5.3 V logic. It does not take an external logic power supply.

File downloads

Texas Instruments DRV8880 stepper motor driver datasheet (2MB pdf)

DRV8880 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier schematic diagram (121k pdf)

Printable schematic diagram of the DRV8880 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier.

Dimension diagram of the DRV8880 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier (426k pdf)

Drill guide for the DRV8880 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier (42k dxf)

This DXF drawing shows the locations of all of the board’s holes.

Arduino library for A4988, DRV8825, DRV8834
his Arduino library, written by forum member laurb9, allows users to control a stepper motor with our A4988, DRV8825, orDRV8834 carriers. The library has functions that enable users to set rotational rate, change microstepping mode, and specify how many steps to take or specify how many degrees to rotate.