stepper motor controller suggestion

[Dr_Ju_ju]

7 hours ago, iwols said:

wow do these units come prebuilt (pcb wise)

What we are talking about here are self build systems. Most can be 'knocked-up' on Veroboard, but I know for Rob Browns system (linked above), the boards can be ordered from aisler.net ( https://aisler.net/brown_rb/my-project-repository/myfocuser-drv8825-hw203-mmtfbt )  3 boards for 31 euros....  Another £20 - £30 of components plus a stepper motor & you will have a working system that can be used for auto focusing in SGPro etc....

[stash_old]

1 hour ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

Most can be 'knocked-up' on Veroboard, but I know for Rob Browns system (linked above), the boards can be ordered from aisler.net

 if you can soldier fine else you have no alternative but to buy the "ready built" driver boards as used in the 3d print industry (50% cheaper than Roberts nice boards) and then its a screw driver job and metal work for the bracket - or buy a ready built focuser.

[iwols]

thanks julian do they do it as a kiit with the  components as well,had a look but very unsure what i need exactly thanks

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Not that I know of, as that would break Rob's copyright.

I build\use the DRV8825-HW203-Full systems boards with separate display\nudge switches (not needed if fully automated).

I've etched my own PCB's but I'm currently trying out some Aisler boards, see picture. My setup is the one to the left with display temperature probe etc. an Aisler board is on the right.

The best place to start is to have a read through the docs, decide what you need & then source the components. There is very little soldering to do, all the interconnecting leads are RJ11 (motor) or RJ45 (display).

 

LETS MAKE A DRV8825 HW203 FULL myFocuserPro2 Controller.pdf

myFocuserPro2 v291.pdf

Edited June 25, 2018 by Dr_Ju_ju

[iwols]

33 minutes ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

Not that I know of, as that would break Rob's copyright.

I build\use the DRV8825-HW203-Full systems boards with separate display\nudge switches (not needed if fully automated).

I've etched my own PCB's but I'm currently trying out some Aisler boards, see picture. My setup is the one to the left with display temperature probe etc. an Aisler board is on the right.

The best place to start is to have a read through the docs, decide what you need & then source the components. There is very little soldering to do, all the interconnecting leads are RJ11 (motor) or RJ45 (display).

 

LETS MAKE A DRV8825 HW203 FULL myFocuserPro2 Controller.pdf

myFocuserPro2 v291.pdf

is this usb controlled

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Yes, it uses the USB connector on the Nano board (long thin sub-board with black square just above it)

[iwols]

thanks where is the usb port on the DRV8825-HW203 Driver Board PCB

sorry for all the questions

so i just need the 

1....DRV8825-HW203 Driver Board PCB ,    

2....the parts list then

3.....and would this motor be ok https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nema-14-Stepper-Motor-0-9deg-400-steps-rev-0-4A-11Ncm-15-6oz-in-Bipolar-4-wires/121679235016?hash=item1c54a5c7c8:g:9BkAAOSwgQ9Vjiwg     

is that all i need cheers

1 hour ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

Yes, it uses the USB connector on the Nano board (long thin sub-board with black square just above it)

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by iwols

[Dr_Ju_ju]

1...   Yes

2...   The parts are fairly common & usually available off eBay UK, so relatively quick delivery.

3...   Depending on what scope\focuser\cameras etc. you intend to drive, the motor should be ok, but you will probably need to use micro-stepping (setup in configuration) and\or will have to have coil power on. As I use planetary geared motors, I don't have to keep the motor power on, which helps keeping the DRV8825 cool, and so doesn't require a heatsink.

 

[iwols]

thanks parts on order 

 

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Good Luck, if you need any help, just shout, especially when it comes time to program the Arduino Nano.

[iwols]

thanks appreciated

[stash_old]

5 hours ago, iwols said:

this usb controlled

Not in the strictest sense - it uses the USB port on the Nano which is seen as a Serial COM port on PC/Linux etc when connected. A minor point point but you have to realise it will need a driver on Windows  PC - The best Nano's,IMHO, come with CH340 or FDTI USB/TTL Serial chip - but some don't especially clones and can be a nightmare - Prolific chipped Nano's are one make to be wary of !

[sloz1664]

You need the CH340G nano. It is explained in Rob Brown's MyFocuer Manual.

Steve

[iwols]

1 hour ago, sloz1664 said:

You need the CH340G nano. It is explained in Rob Brown's MyFocuer Manual.

Steve

cheers sloz thats the one i ordered i think................https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Arduino-Nano-V3-0-ATMega328P-CH340G-Compatible-Board-USB-Cable-SOLDERED/282822682905?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

[stash_old]

Before you start please ask yourself a couple of questions and be honest :-

1. Am I capable of doing reasonable soldering 

2. If things go wrong am I (or a close/local friend) electronically savy enough to be able to diagnose where the problem lies.

3. I wont to spend more time doing electronics and software than Astronomy - especially if time is limited.

If you answer no to any of the above I ,IMHO, would not recommend doing the "Full Monty" - using parts not sub level components

Else enjoy your project and being able to say at the end " I did that" - with a big grin

 

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Stash, why are you so against people soldering ?? 

You've said you can't solder for toffee, but given a morning, I probably could teach even you to solder...  (I used to train "supposed" wire-people for the BBC).

[iwols]

2 hours ago, stash_old said:

Before you start please ask yourself a couple of questions and be honest :-

1. Am I capable of doing reasonable soldering 

2. If things go wrong am I (or a close/local friend) electronically savy enough to be able to diagnose where the problem lies.

3. I wont to spend more time doing electronics and software than Astronomy - especially if time is limited.

If you answer no to any of the above I ,IMHO, would not recommend doing the "Full Monty" - using parts not sub level components

Else enjoy your project and being able to say at the end " I did that" - with a big grin

 

thanks but soldering isnt a problem,loading the software might be though?

[stash_old]

49 minutes ago, iwols said:

loading the software might be though

Thats the simple bit LOL  - enjoy your project

[stash_old]

1 hour ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

Stash, why are you so against people soldering ?? 

You've said you can't solder for toffee, but given a morning, I probably could teach even you to solder...  (I used to train "supposed" wire-people for the BBC).

I am not against soldering at all great if you can do it well - only stating the obvious that a lot of people cant solder well (or wont admit it) and bad soldering can cause problems down the road.  Plus using readily made sub components are faster,cheaper and can be replaced easier when things go wrong! 

Using these as an example :

1. http://www.dx.com/p/tb6560-single-axis-3a-stepper-motor-driver-green-10-35v-214349#.WzJZAinzzWA

2. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Breakout-Board-for-Arduino-Nano-Terminal-Adapter-/182206532642?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

Using the above I have built a focuser (excluding stepper and focuser bracket) inside 20mins to use Robert's basic model code unchanged all without soldering. Cost under £20 inc project box. 

So in a nut shell ,as I have said I am not against soldering, but for those who cant or wont there are alternatives which perform just as well. ? Being informed is king.

In this case Soldering for Iwols is not a problem.

So each to his/her own.

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by stash_old

[fozzybear]

On ‎26‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 17:24, stash_old said:

I am not against soldering at all great if you can do it well - only stating the obvious that a lot of people cant solder well (or wont admit it) and bad soldering can cause problems down the road.  Plus using readily made sub components are faster,cheaper and can be replaced easier when things go wrong! 

Using these as an example :

1. http://www.dx.com/p/tb6560-single-axis-3a-stepper-motor-driver-green-10-35v-214349#.WzJZAinzzWA

2. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Breakout-Board-for-Arduino-Nano-Terminal-Adapter-/182206532642?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

Using the above I have built a focuser (excluding stepper and focuser bracket) inside 20mins to use Robert's basic model code unchanged all without soldering. Cost under £20 inc project box. 

So in a nut shell ,as I have said I am not against soldering, but for those who cant or wont there are alternatives which perform just as well. ? Being informed is king.

In this case Soldering for Iwols is not a problem.

So each to his/her own.

 

Stash

I am seriously interested in this option can you give me more information apart from the two items listed above greatly appreciated

Andy

[stash_old]

9 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

Stash

I am seriously interested in this option can you give me more information apart from the two items listed above greatly appreciated

Andy

What do you what to know Andy  ?

 added to the kit listed is 1 x Nano ,4 wire Bipolar Stepper from OMC, a DIY stepper bracket for your Scope, project box,USB cable to PC,wire to connect Nano adapter to TB6600.

The Gnd,Step(+),Dir(+),Enable(+)  pins to correspond to Roberts Pin assignment for DRV8825_M version Focuser Pro all the other pins on the Nano side on the TB6600 are connected to Gnd.      

 Stepper side of TB6600 is connected to Bipolar Stepper Wire motor wire (or extended up to 6ft) depends on your spec plus a DC power feed - I use 12v limited to 3amp via fuse. With the heat sink in place its good for 3 amps .

The TB6600 is optically isolated so the Nano is protected from the Stepper. The USB PC link provides the 5V power to the Nano - I dont use/need the voltage pins on the Naon. Have been using this set up for 30 months with only 1 problem which was cured by reloading the INO program to the Nano.

// Stepper Motor stuff, control pins for DRV8825 board
#define myDir     3
#define myStep    4
#define myM0      5  // microstepping lines
#define myM1      6
#define myM2      7
// m0/m1/m2 sets stepping mode 000 = F, 100 = 1/2, 010 = 1/4, 110 = 1/8, 001 = 1/16, 101 = 1/32
// steps per revolution = 200, 400, 800, 1600, 6400
// must set the current limiting for microstepping to work correctly

// ENABLE - Setting CoilPwr controls the disable or enable state of the EASYDRIVER board outputs
int boardstate;
#define OUTPUTENABLED 1
#define OUTPUTDISABLED 0
#define myEnable  8

NOTES

I dont use Microstepping lines (pins 5,6,7) as the TB6600 is manually set (no option to program) to the step size via switches ,so is the current and a few other  settings- works fine for me - board never misses a beat.

The DRV8825_M does not have support for LCD,Rotary or Temp as I use mine remotely from my Obsys so pointless (my temp is done differently via a different program using UDP and Wemos d1 mini's) - you could do one of the other RB versions to add lcd or rotary or temp

That worked for me !

Using a screw driver you can wire this kit quickly - just map what goes where first - I didn't and blew my first Nano up by connecting wrong wire LOL.

Drill holes to attach the TB6600 and the Nano Adapter to the project box

Drill a hole for the USB cable and the Stepper Motor Wires (which I covered in shrink outer skin) - I used grommets for the holes to added water/dew protection

Suggest a dry run out side the project box to make sure the wires and TB settings are set correctly.

Biggest time consuming item was creating a bracket for the Stepper on the Scope - I used direct connection (via shaft coupler) but belt driven would work just watch the ratio's.

I did later change Robert's excellent code to use Accel Library (stepper control) which gives far more flexibility and control of stepper motors via ANY driver board (IMHO) and I no longer use Ascom as I wrote my own Python GUI interface. But the original was Robert's code unaltered.

Anything else ?

 

 

[fozzybear]

6 minutes ago, stash_old said:

What do you what to know Andy  ?

 added to the kit listed is 1 x Nano ,4 wire Bipolar Stepper from OMC, a DIY stepper bracket for your Scope, project box,USB cable to PC,wire to connect Nano adapter to TB6600.

The Gnd,Step(+),Dir(+),Enable(+)  pins to correspond to Roberts Pin assignment for DRV8825_M version Focuser Pro all the other pins on the Nano side on the TB6600 are connected to Gnd.      

 Stepper side of TB6600 is connected to Bipolar Stepper Wire motor wire (or extended up to 6ft) depends on your spec plus a DC power feed - I use 12v limited to 3amp via fuse. With the heat sink in place its good for 3 amps .

The TB6600 is optically isolated so the Nano is protected from the Stepper. The USB PC link provides the 5V power to the Nano - I dont use/need the voltage pins on the Naon. Have been using this set up for 30 months with only 1 problem which was cured by reloading the INO program to the Nano.

// Stepper Motor stuff, control pins for DRV8825 board
#define myDir     3
#define myStep    4
#define myM0      5  // microstepping lines
#define myM1      6
#define myM2      7
// m0/m1/m2 sets stepping mode 000 = F, 100 = 1/2, 010 = 1/4, 110 = 1/8, 001 = 1/16, 101 = 1/32
// steps per revolution = 200, 400, 800, 1600, 6400
// must set the current limiting for microstepping to work correctly

// ENABLE - Setting CoilPwr controls the disable or enable state of the EASYDRIVER board outputs
int boardstate;
#define OUTPUTENABLED 1
#define OUTPUTDISABLED 0
#define myEnable  8

NOTES

I dont use Microstepping lines (pins 5,6,7) as the TB6600 is manually set (no option to program) to the step size via switches ,so is the current and a few other  settings- works fine for me - board never misses a beat.

The DRV8825_M does not have support for LCD,Rotary or Temp as I use mine remotely from my Obsys so pointless (my temp is done differently via a different program using UDP and Wemos d1 mini's) - you could do one of the other RB versions to add lcd or rotary or temp

That worked for me !

Using a screw driver you can wire this kit quickly - just map what goes where first - I didn't and blew my first Nano up by connecting wrong wire LOL.

Drill holes to attach the TB6600 and the Nano Adapter to the project box

Drill a hole for the USB cable and the Stepper Motor Wires (which I covered in shrink outer skin) - I used grommets for the holes to added water/dew protection

Suggest a dry run out side the project box to make sure the wires and TB settings are set correctly.

Biggest time consuming item was creating a bracket for the Stepper on the Scope - I used direct connection (via shaft coupler) but belt driven would work just watch the ratio's.

I did later change Robert's excellent code to use Accel Library (stepper control) which gives far more flexibility and control of stepper motors via ANY driver board (IMHO) and I no longer use Ascom as I wrote my own Python GUI interface. But the original was Robert's code unaltered.

Anything else ?

 

 

excellent , i'm confused on the wiring to the nano do you have a photo at all greatly appreciated

andy

[stash_old]

13 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

excellent , i'm confused on the wiring to the nano do you have a photo at all greatly appreciated

andy

Try and remember a real photo but the attach is not far off if they haven't changed the TB6600 board deails (Please check yourself) - most details were etched on the board for setting options - e.g. Microstepping,Current etc

En- and En+   Enable the TB6600

CW+ and CW- Control the direction

CLK+ and Clk-  control the Stepping

B- B+ are 1 coil of the Stepper (4 wire) see spec sheet which if you buy from OMC normal is in the box ?

A- A+ are the other coil of the Stepper

 

But you need only one set hence EN- CW- and CLK- all to common GND

No need to connect ground between stepper power and Nano 

Hope that helps

[fozzybear]

cheers, just ordered items if I get stuck I hope you can help me out

andy

 

[stash_old]

One thing I noticed I quoted tb6600 - I used the older board which the tb6600 is the new replacement. It was TB6560

my orig board https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TB6560-CNC-Router-Single-1-Axis-Stepper-Motor-3A-Driver-Controller-Board/253682904482?epid=505799232&hash=item3b10adeda2:g:VWgAAOSwXeJYDReW

Sorry about that.

Yes I will try and help you out ? as long as its not soldering LOL