Is a stepper driver necessary?

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SteveLynch
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:55 am
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
Allin1DC CNC Controller: No
Oak CNC controller: No
CNC Control System Serial Number: E415F6F4F041-1014203848
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: No
CPU10 or CPU7: No

Is a stepper driver necessary?

Post by SteveLynch »

Hi Guys!

I've read through the FAQ, I've searched the forums, and I cannot find an answer that definitively answers My question. It should be a simple one...

I've been repairing machines for a few years, and I've come across the centroid products By having to figure them out in the field. naturally, this made me fall in love with the acorn, and I got a few of My own.

I've been playing with using the controller to control simple machines, in addition to a CNC, and I was wondering:

Can you drive a stepper straight off of the acorn board, or is a stepper driver necessary?

After watching all of the videos, and looking at wiring diagrams, it appears to me that the answer is Yes. However, I can't find actual documentation that says this. I'm wondering if My assumption is correct, or If, due to the fact that The videos can't possibly cover every hardware configuration, the stepper driver is simply left out of many of the wiring diagrams, as it's assumed that We'd know that a driver needs to be used in between the stepper, and the board outputs.

So, If you cannot: No problem, I have drivers, and know how to set them up.
If you can: Is there a reason not to use them? Are they just for testing? It would be nice to be able to run small, low load steppers straight off the board.

Thanks so much!
Loving this forum.. It's consumed days of My life so far! :)
jpmsteadi
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:51 pm
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
Allin1DC CNC Controller: No
Oak CNC controller: No
CNC Control System Serial Number: E415F6F1121A-1204204111
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: No
CPU10 or CPU7: No

Re: Is a stepper driver necessary?

Post by jpmsteadi »

yes, a stepper driver is required if working with steppers. The acorn board can not drive the actual motor, only gives data level controls for step, direction, and enable. Need to have some sort of drive between the board and the motor.

And yes, consuming days of your life is on track!
SteveLynch
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:55 am
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
Allin1DC CNC Controller: No
Oak CNC controller: No
CNC Control System Serial Number: E415F6F4F041-1014203848
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: No
CPU10 or CPU7: No

Re: Is a stepper driver necessary?

Post by SteveLynch »

Thanks!

That's what I kind of expected, as I didn't see any driver chips.. And now I know! I appreciate it!
jpmsteadi
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:51 pm
Acorn CNC Controller: Yes
Allin1DC CNC Controller: No
Oak CNC controller: No
CNC Control System Serial Number: E415F6F1121A-1204204111
DC3IOB: No
CNC12: Yes
CNC11: No
CPU10 or CPU7: No

Re: Is a stepper driver necessary?

Post by jpmsteadi »

of course!
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