Best motor drives according to redditors

Short answer: Yes*.

Longer answer: out of the box, nope. However, there are ways to modify these to work with a RAMPS board, or any bipolar driver for that matter, and it's not particularly hard, though I can promise you you'll end up going through one or two (or six, that was fun) of these trying to get it right the first time through.

Basically, these motors are what's called unipolar steppers. What that means is they have two dedicated sets of coils, one aligned positively, and the other negatively, and a wire that switches between them. To move the motor, the driver first uses the central wire to activate one of the coils, then moves the motor that many steps using only that coil, rather than both, as is the case with bipolar steppers. This means the controller doesn't need any kind of ability to switch the coils' polarity on the fly, which makes them cheaper to produce. This is why not only can you get six of these motors for the cost of one decent NEMA17 encased one, but you even get the drivers for all of them at that cost, which is pretty cool. Those positives come at some pretty steep negatives, though. Primarily, the fact that unipolar steppers have around half the torque that a bipolar motor of the same size would have, as they can only use half the copper coils to accomplish the same motion. Given how small these motors are already, you can see how that means these things are pretty anemic. They try to compensate by gearing these motors quite aggressively (typically 1:64, but 1:32 isn't unheard of, and 1:16 ones have been reported before as well), increasing torque at the cost of a massive speed decrease. The other major downside to us printer hackers is the fact that unipolar and bipolar drivers aren't really cross-compatible. There are ways to make them work, some early printers used unipolar motors, and the 101Hero has custom drivers attached to its modified Melzi to run them, but boards that support them are uncommon, to say the least.

However, there is a way around that. The only thing that keeps a unipolar motor unipolar is that central wire, and its corresponding trace on the circuitboard under that blue plastic cap. With careful use of a small drill bit, nail file, X-Acto knife, box cutter, razor, or pocket knife, that trace can be severed from the board without much difficulty, removing that restriction, turning the motor from unipolar to bipolar, doubling the torque, and allowing it to be driven by standard drivers. One really cool aspect of these motors is that, because of the gearing, you're actually capable of some incredible precision. Those motors are only 32 steps/rotation, but thanks to having juuust about a 1:64 gear ratio (I believe it's actually a 1:63.7 ratio, or something close to that, but you can fine tune it after you set it up the first time to get it just right) they actually have just shy of 2048 steps/rotation, This means that out the gate they're on par with most motors with a decent amount of microstepping enabled. As such, since you're going to need as much torque as you can get for your first test runs, so I recommend running it in halfstep or quarterstep mode at the maximum, which still gives you a ton of precision to work with.

By the way, if it seems like the information I'm giving you is super specific to those motors, it's because I've a decent bit of experience not only with 28BYJ-48s, but specifically with the exact listing you've linked. I have a pile of these motors in my garage from various suppliers, all of which I tried to get running correctly for the lunchbox sized printer I was working on last year. I blew out a ton of them, but it did move correctly in every direction, just awfully. I actually still have the firmware image for it lying around somewhere, it's a build of Repetier made through the configuration tool meant for a RAMPS board with an RRD fullgraphic clone attached, and an unheated bed. If you're interested I could try and dig it up for you. I also have some rewired for the correct pinout to let the RAMPS board address the coils correctly. The order they're in leading down to the plug isn't right for bipolar motion, but it's easily rearranged. Lastly, from what I've seen, you're really better off using the 28BYJ-48s that are designed to be run at a 12v voltage than a 5V one. Last year the 12V ones were a ton more expensive, but now they're basically the same price, and from what I've heard, they're a lot less headache inducing than the 5V ones I was working with. In addition, that one has 64 steps/rotation, and apparently has exactly a 1:64 gear ratio, doubling the steps/rotation at the shaft to 4096 steps/rotation with no microstepping. Compared to the 200 steps/rotation on standard NEMA motors, that's an incredible amount of accuracy if you're willing to put up with the ludicrously low speeds.

TL;DR You can totally use these with a RAMPS board, but it does take a bit of work, and you may want to get a specific variant of the 28BYJ-48 for more reliable operation once converted.

PS EDIT: It would seem the listing you've found is also for a 64 steps/rotation base variant. I bought those exact motors and didn't notice that. Would explain why they seemed to not move like the other ones, heh.

For a 3 hp VFD, this is the one I would recommend

https://www.amazon.com/LAPOND-Inverter-Professional-Frequency-VFD-2-2KW/dp/B01DKJWM6W

If you only need the basics, then it basically just plug and play. You plug in your single phase 220 line at the top and your 3 phase motor at the bottom. If you need a more complicated set up, it also has a ton of options.

This one looks good. It's actually better than the Hercules one it seems (higher current, wider input voltage compatibility). The Amazon description says it's Arduino compatible.

edit: Even though these are both compatible with the Arduino, note that they are slightly different. The truth table for the Hercules shows that one pin will turn the motor one way, and the other will turn it the other way. But the truth table for the Cytron shows that one pin will turn the motor off and on, and the other pin will change the direction. This will have to be taken into account when programming it.

This is actually a great exercise for your daughter. It is a very real-world example of the kinds of things you need to learn when programming.

The shades are probably over built, after the first set of steppers I tried didn't have enough torque I just said screw out and bought planetary geared steppers, which are a bit pricey.


Nema 17 Geared Stepper Motor Gear Ratio 5:1 3D Printer Extruder Motor DIY CNC Robotics https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QA5WSDG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yFTKzbHPVBPDE


SMAKN® TB6600 Upgraded Version 32 Segments 4A 40V 57/86 Stepper Motor Driver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016ZJS1FA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_uGTKzbJ5XCMGK


HiLetgo New Version NodeMCU LUA WiFi Internet ESP8266 Development https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010O1G1ES/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9GTKzbEZ1TQSP


Outdoor Roller Sun Shade, 6-Feet by 6-Feet, Cabo Sand https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003AU5O2G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_lITKzbW1VKMNA



Here's the post for the pool control stuff:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/6efion/i_built_a_cell_phone_pool_controller_interface/


http://imgur.com/a/qvrCE

here you go
5v power supply
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076V9PMSM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

stepper drivers
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016ZJS1FA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

nodemcu
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010N1SPRK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

wire
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MS39GEH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

enclosure
https://www.jaycar.co.nz/large-abs-ip66-enclosure/p/HB6404

cable glands
https://www.jaycar.co.nz/ip68-nickel-plated-copper-cable-glands-3-to-6-5mm-pack-of-2/p/HP0744

stepper motors
https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/nema-17-stepper-motor-bipolar-l33mm-w-gear-raio-51-planetary-gearbox-17hs13-0404s-pg5.html

blinds
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/windoware-180-x-210cm-black-glamour-indoor-blockout-roller-blind_p01261013

3d printed parts using ender 3 pro

raspberry pi 3 running home assistant

Not located anywhere near the PNW but can answer some safety questions.
As long as you never work on live circuitry and connect + to + and - to - you should be safe (kind of an obvious thing to say about electronics as it’s true for most cases). And with the voltages you’re most likely working with (3V-12V) you should be safe even if you do mess up (and the voltages and currents you’re working with is where it’s important to make the distinction between safe to mess up and NOT safe to mess up).
The most damage you will do is short something and break the arduino or other circuitry you’re working with. A lot of times genuine arduinos will have short protection and be able to turn back on.
I would suggest using a different type of motor controller though such as a shield that fits on top of the arduino.
Maybe this one (cheaper) or this one (better)

PM me with any questions if you’d like and I’ll try to answer them.

I picked up the servos linked in my original post, and I picked up this 2 pack of servo drivers, and 1000 popsicle sticks. I shouldn't need anything else to drive the servos with an R3, should I?

While you can DIY it with some FETS or a monolithic H-bridge, it's much simpler to use a stepper driver. The popularity of 3D printing has produced a gazillion driver daughter boards intended to be plugged into a printer motherboard. There are also stand-alone boards like this one from Pololu or this one from Sparkfun. A dedicated driver board will let you run the stepper at a much higher voltage (to overcome coil inductance) while limiting the current with a chopper so the motor stays happy. Not to mention the addition of microstepping.

The battery and charger you recommended is perfect. Thanks. Now I was thinking of powering the RPi with another battery so that it can monitor be on contunously but hot swap batteries. It's not important at this stage as long as I don't need to cut the battery connectors. The yellow zippy 2200 has a XT60 discharge plug but the yellow up 2700 has a HXT 4mm discharge plug. So I found a solution otherwise with a lipo distribution board that has DC/DC synchronous buck regulator and with XT60 socket. Also, the I think this MOSFET the driver board will do fine. I plan to place my order in a couple of days.

https://www.amazon.com/QX-Electronics-Distribution-Module-Double/dp/B0711CTFDZ/ref=sr_1_6

https://www.amazon.com/uniquegoods-H-Bridge-IRF3205-Control-Arduino/dp/B07BVJPMST/ref=sr_1_4

Consider Charlieplexing where you could use 6 pins of the Arduino and a few resistors. This requires the fewest components but is complicated and the LEDs will be relatively dim. No additional power supply is needed.

Consider MAX7219 LED driver which can individually control each LED and dim all the LEDs at once. The LEDs are arranged in a multiplexed configuration and no LED resistors are required. For 30 LEDs you'd need one of these chips.

Consider PCA9685 driver module which can individually dim each LED. These module come with LED resistors built in. For 30 LEDs you'd need 2 modules and a 5V 1A power supply.

I would highly reccomend getting VDF and a three phase motor. Why? Because with a VFD and a three phase motor you can vary the speed electronically, and you can find VFD's that take 110v or 220v, and they arent very expensive.

Heres a decent motor and VFD, Im going to be ordering this stuff for myself in the next month or two.

http://dealerselectric.com/33NCM-3-1-5-36.asp

https://www.amazon.com/LAPOND-Inverter-Professional-Frequency-VFD-1-5KW/dp/B01DKJWM62/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482190507&sr=8-3&keywords=vfd

This guy explains it pretty well in this unboxing video. This video made me decide to get this setup. (skip to 7:00 where he talks about the motor and VFD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaBZpKJ7H7U&t=1527s

How much did you pay for it and how much are you willing to put into it to get it going? Your best bet, if you REALLY want to use it, is to get a cheap VFD ($75~$100 on Amazon) so that you can run the impact at the correct frequency which it is intended to run on.

You can put a standard 220V plug on the input side of VFD and then have a set of locking Hubbell plugs between the output side of the VFD and the tool.

With that said, when you are all said and done, you would probably be AT LEAST $150~$175 into getting it to run, not including what you already have into the impact itself.

Just my two cents.

motor with discrete stops on it and either acme screw or spur gear to change switch position would do it. For example. Solenoids with enough force would be quite large and bulky.

https://www.amazon.com/12VDC-Stepper-Linear-Double-Bearings/dp/B01LNJFKA6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1518267809&sr=8-3&keywords=linear+motor

https://www.amazon.com/4V-6V-stepper-slider-dia15MM-degrees/dp/B014IGBECO/ref=pd_bxgy_328_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B014IGBECO&pd_rd_r=8VM77MVQ4EJSYT5QVBZH&pd_rd_w=rhSgb&pd_rd_wg=0kdYv&psc=1&refRID=8VM77MVQ4EJSYT5QVBZH

Bit rube goldberg of a setup depending on the motor and soldering would be more discrete.

Thanks for all the information! This is all really helpful, especially that diagram, and I appreciate you taking the time to work with me on this.

I'm looking at grabbing these LED strips, which come with the power supply, and I've already got the raspberry pi. As for the PWM outputs this looks like it should be fine right?

I would also need, for each stair that I'd be working with, one of these. Would this be good? And am I missing anything?

Here you go:
http://www.adafruit.com/product/815

edit: also: http://www.amazon.com/Adafruit-16-Channel-12-bit-Servo-Driver/dp/B00E4WEXO4

In the future, just google anything that looks like a string of letters or numbers. In this case, "adafruit" and "PCA9685".

I'm in SD. Just curious.... what were you going to use them for?

Googling around just for kicks. Looks like a fun power supply project to improve my electronics knowledge and possibly fry myself.

Can you just stick in some extra diodes to make up for the missing center tap?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_tap#Common_applications_of_center-tapped_transformers

2 lbs!? That's pretty serious. About 4-5 amps?

http://www.amazon.com/Toroidal-transformer-120VA-voltage-output/dp/B0087O3BCA

What kind of mounting hardware's on there?

I might be interested in taking just one if you're ok w/that.

LAPOND SVD-ES Series Single Phase VFD Drive VFD Inverter Professional Variable Frequency Drive 1.5KW 2HP 220V 7A for Spindle Motor Speed Control(VFD-1.5KW) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DKJWM62/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LukTCb6EFS90H


Might not be compatible to your voltage etc but a quick check on amazon has lots of these for short money. This is one of many.... good luck

You just use a Three Phase Stepper Motor Driver.