This product has been discontinued.  Please refer to our BiStepA06 and BS1010 as the nearest-equivalent products.

The BiStep version A04 pre-release kit is a fully functional version of the BiStep Unipolar/Bipolar dual stepper motor controller system.  It uses the same firmware and components as the final release version of the product (artwork version A05), and differs only in power issues and motor connections.  This unit is an excellent choice for an experimenter; its low cost and universal stepper motor control allow for design of inexpensive small robotic devices which have precise positioning capabilities.

The board is specified as allowing up to 0.6 amps per motor winding, with 7.5 to 15 volt motors supported.  It differs from the final release version in that there exists a 1 amp option in the final version, the final version has reversible motor connections, and the final version has easier methods available for supporting up to 35 volt motors.

Double Current Mode:  The GenStepper and PotStepper firmwares for our products now allow you to run one motor (instead of two) at double the rated current  of the board!  For example, if you purchase a BS0710 board, which can handle two 1-Amp motors (assuming that you cool the board adequately), then that board can now be configured by you to handle one 2-amp motor instead.  Please review the motor connections faq for more information.

This board may be optionally configured to act as a serial router for our product line, through use of the SerRoute firmware option.  This option replaces the stepper motor control with serial routing of up to five boards, 8 relay, and up to 4 TTL input operations.  Please click here for more information about the serial routing firmware.

Similarly, this board may be optionally configured to operate in a NC (numerically controlled) process environment, through use of the NCStepper firmware option.  This firmware tightly links the two motors together, providing for easy "exact straight line" and simplified arc/circle drawing.  Please click here for more information about the NCStepper firmware.

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Key Benefits

The kit as supplied has the following key features when using the GenStepper firmware once it is assembled:

• Up to two stepper motors may be independently controlled at one time.
• Each motor may be either 4-pole Unipolar or 2-pole Bipolar.

• Each motor may draw up to 0.6 amps per winding.
• If only a single motor is connected to the board, and the GenStepper firmware revision is 1.59 or later, then you can configure the board and wire the motor for double current mode.  This allows you to handle a single motor with up to 1.2  amps/winding with this product!  Use of a cooling fan is usually required when operating in double current mode; about 10 CFM is usually adequate.
• Limit switches may be used to automatically request motion stop of either motor in either direction.
• Rates of 1 to 62,500 microsteps per second are supported.
• Step rates are changed by linearly ramping the rates; the rate of change is independently programmed for each motor, and can be from 1 to 62,500 microsteps per second per second.
• All motor coordinates and rates are expressed in programmable microstep units of 1/2 to 1/64 of a full step.  Once the base step size is selected, changing stepping modes between half, full and micro does not change any other value other than which winding pairs may be driven at the same time.
• Motor coordinates are maintained as 32 bit signed values, and thus have a range of –2,147,483,647 through +2,147,483,647.
• Both GoTo and Slew actions are fully supported.
• Four modes of stepping the motor are supported:
  • Half steps (alternates 1 winding and two windings enabled at a time),
  • Full power full steps (2 windings enabled at a time)
  • Half power full steps (1 winding enabled at a time)
  • Near-constant-current microsteps (each from 1/64 to 1/2 of a full step)
• A TTL "busy" signal is available, which can be used to see if the motors are still moving. Note that this information is also available from the serial communications subsystem.
• Simple control of the motors may be done by switch closure: i.e., each motor can be told to slew left or right, or to stop by simply grounding some input lines. Similarly, the rate of motion can be controlled via stepping through a standard set of rates via grounding another input.
• Complete control of the motors, including total monitoring of current conditions, is available through the 2400 or 9600 baud serial connection.
• An additional mode is available which allows an external computer to directly generate step sequences on the motor control lines. Up to 62,500 microsteps per second may be requested.
• The system can be configured to operate in 1/2 power mode, wherein it reduces the power to all windings by 1/2 for all actions.  This can be used to "overvoltage" a motor, in order to generate more torque.
• Runs off of a single user-provided 7.5 to 15 volt DC power supply.
• Theoretically, an unlimited number of boards can be controlled via one serial line, if the SerRoute product is used.

Click Here for the full PDF manual for the UniversalStepper Product Line.

Common Firmware Options of the SimStep and BiStep series of Motor Controller Boards

The GenStepper Firmware (our most popular firmware) allows you to control two motors independently of each other.  It also supports a "double current mode", wherein a single motor may be operated at up to twice the rated current of the board!  Please click here for more information about this product.

The NCStepper Firmware  permits our stepper boards to operate two motors in a tightly coupled environment, appropriate for Numerical Control machines (such as X-Y tables).  Please click here for more information on this feature.

The PotStepper Firmware  allows you to control two motors independently of each other.  The rate of motion of the motors may be controlled via a user-provided potentiometer.  As with the GenStepper firmware, It also supports a "double current mode", wherein a single motor may be operated at up to twice the rated current of the board!  Please click here for more information on this feature.

RelayStepper Firmware  permits our boards to simultaneously operate one motor and up to 4 relays, as well as providing for up to 9 TTL input signals.  Please click here for more information on this product.

The SerRoute Firmware can operate any number of stepper motors via one serial line!  This firmware option allows for 3 (default configuration) to 9 (optional) motor controller boards to be operated via one serial port,  if it is installed on a SimStep series unit, thus providing for 6 to 18 motors controlled by one 9600 baud connection using just one SerRoute-based board as the serial supervisor.  If multiple SerRoute based boards are used as routers, there is no upper limit to the number of motors which can be controlled by one line.   Please click here for more information on this product.

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All products come with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee, and the assembled products come with a 30 day return to factory warranty.  Please click here for the details...