Motor-driver board unleashes 3D printer potential
Designed to maximise the performance of open-source 3D printers, STMicroelectronics offers the EVALSP820-XS motor-driver board. It combines ST’s industrial-control expertise in the RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu Shield (RAMPS) open-source 3D-printer platform, enabling 3D printer makers to unleash the full potential of their machines for faster printing and smoother surface finish, says the company.
The RAMPS modular platform is making fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing accessible to makers, small businesses, and home users, for fast prototyping, making replacement parts, or education. The Arduino Mega 2560, or Arduino DUE, baseboard provides basic control, ready for users to plug-in their own choice of motor driver, extruder controller, and any other desired functions using Mega-compatible expansion shields.
As a plug-and-play expansion board, ST’s EVALSP820-XS can drive RAMPS printers quickly to increase throughput with microstepping resolution from half-step to 1/256-step per microstep.
ST’s STSPIN820 stepper-driver IC embeds high-speed motor-control input circuitry and algorithms developed for industrial applications. It also integrates a powerful 1.5A rms output stage in the compact 4.0 x 4.0mm QFN package. Ruggedness is assured with under-voltage lockout, over-current/short-circuit protection, and thermal shutdown protection features.
The board can be used in other projects, too, to accelerate development of smooth, high-speed stepper control for equipment such as surveillance-camera platforms, textile-manufacturing or sewing machines, medical devices, cash-handling machines, office and home automation, point-of-sale terminals, and robotics. It has an operating voltage of seven to 45V and a simple host interface comprising step-clock and direction-input pins for ease of integration.
This news story is brought to you by softei.com, the specialist site dedicated to delivering information about what’s new in the electronics industry, with daily news updates, new products and industry news.
To stay up-to-date, register to receive our weekly newsletters and keep informed of the latest technology news and new products from around the globe. Simply click this link to register here: softei.com
Readers can also register to receive the monthly newsletter from our sister site, weartechdesign.com. This is the only website dedicated to developers of wearable electronic products. Simply click this link to register: weartechdesign.com
We have a Fitbit to give away on both Softei.com and Weartechdesign.com! Register today to enter the competition to win a Fitbit at softei.com or weartechdesign.com.
