diff --git a/A4988-Stepper-Motor-Controller.md b/A4988-Stepper-Motor-Controller.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..bb066df4 --- /dev/null +++ b/A4988-Stepper-Motor-Controller.md @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +Use an A4988 circuit to easily control stepper-motors like "NEMA 17" and siblings. Detailed information about the circuit can be found in the [datasheet](http://www.allegromicro.com/~/media/Files/Datasheets/A4988-Datasheet.ashx?la=en). + +## Enable A4988 support +To enable this feature, add `#define USE_A4988_STEPPER` to your `user_config_override.h` file and compile your own firmware. + +## Connecting the motor controller +The driverboard has several connectors: powering the controller (3.3-5.0 V), input (+/-) & output (1a/1b/2a/2b), the motor (up to 35V/2A), and to control the circuit (in order at the control side of the board): + +Connector | Description +:-:|- +DIR|Direction of rotation +STEP|Initiate stepping +SLP| Sleep (not implemented) +RST| Reset (not implemented) +MS3| +MS2|Set microstep increment 1/1 to 1/16th +MS1| +EN|Enable the power supply for the motor + +There are six corresponding GPIO components for this Tasmota driver. These should be configured to free GPIO pins of the device using a Template or Module: +`A4988 DIR (170)` +`A4988 STP (171)` (step) +`A4988 ENA (172)` (enable) +`A4988 MS1 (173)` +`A4988 MS2 (174)` +`A4988 MS3 (175)` + +The minimal configuration for the A4988 are the `DIR` and `STEP` signals. In such a configuration the motor will be permanently powered and microstepping will be set to 1/1 (full steps). + +## Use cases +The cheap auto-feeder for my cats broke. It was a fancy plastic-thingy with voice-recording-function & programmable to feed several times a day after playing back your voice (cats don't give a sh$7 for your voice - they come when they hear the food falling into the bowl). It was never precise - a concern for the amount of nutrition it gave the cats. And it was not reliable, as the torque of the internal moving mechanism was insufficient to spin the separator/proportioning wheel through the food reliably. In addition, the batteries were always drained in a day meaning very grumpy cats when we returned! + +Thus the wish to install a high-torque stepper-motor (with shifting gear) was born. I could power it with mains instead of relying on a battery, control it over WiFi from my smarthome automation hub. Tasmota now offers a way to do this! + +The **"TasmotaSmartCatFeeder"** circuit consists of a WeMos D1 mini, a A4988 controller, and two power supplies (5V&12V). This all fits into the housing of the feeder and costs less than 50€! + +Virtually everything which has to be moved or rotated can be done now using these cheap components. It can be a window, door, shutter, cat or dog flap, a solar panel which follows the sun, a moving spotlight, PTZ-camera, or whatever. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/A4988-StepperMotorDriverCircuit.md b/A4988-StepperMotorDriverCircuit.md deleted file mode 100644 index a0e6dd81..00000000 --- a/A4988-StepperMotorDriverCircuit.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,26 +0,0 @@ -## The A4988 -The A4988 circuit was developed to easily control stepper-motors like "NEMA 17" and siblings. -Detailed information about the Circuit please find in the datasheet.
-The driverboard has several connectors, for powering the controller (3.3-5.0 V), input (+/-) & output (1a/1b/2a/2b) for motor (up to 35V/2A), and to controll the circuit (in order at the controlling-side of the board:
**DIR** for direction of rotation
**STEP** initiating a step
**SLP** for Sleep [not implemented in Tasmota]
**RST** for Reset [not implemented in Tasmota]
**MS3**
**MS2** for setting the microstepping 1/1 to 1/16th
**MS1**
-**EN** for en-/disabling the powersupply for the motor).
-The 6 implemented input-connectors of the A4988 can be allocated to a free GPIO of the Tasmota-device in the settings-page of the Tasmota Web-Frontend, where the pins are named:
-**A4988 DIR (170)**
-**A4988 STP (171)**(step)
-**A4988 ENA (172)**(enable)
-**A4988 MS1 (173)**
-**A4988 MS2 (174)**
-**A4988 MS3 (175)**
- -As a minimum-configuration the A4988-pins "DIR" & "STEP" should be connected by 2 wires to the Tasmota-devices GPIO's. In such a configuration the motor will be permanently powered and microstepping will be set to 1/1 (full steps).
-## How to enable A4988-support? -You will have to compile your own version of Tasmota. To enable the support for the circuit in the file
-**Sonoff-Tasmota/sonoff/my_user_config.h** uncomment the line:
-`//USE_A4988_STEPPER`
-## What might this be good for? -I was using Tasmota for quite a while, when the cheap feeding-automat for my cats broke. It was a fancy plastic-thingy whith voice-recording-function & programmable to feed several times a day after playing back your voice (cats don't give a sh$7 for your voice - they come when they hear the food falling into the bowl).
It was never precise - concerning the ammount of nutrition it gave to them - and not reliable, as the torque of the moving-mechanism inside was not big enough to spin the separator-/protioning-wheel through the food reliably. Additionaly the batteries where always empty on the day after departure - grumpy cats when commin home da hooman...
-Born was the wish to install a high-torque stepper-motor (with shifting gear), power it with 220V and to controll it over WiFi from my Smarthome-controller (ioBroker). But my favourite Firmware Tasmota offered no way to do this.
-Now it does :-)
-I took a WeMoD1 mini, a A4988 driver, 2 powersupplies (5V&12V), fiddled all this into the housing of the feeder and **BOOM!** - here is the TasmotaSmartCatFeeder at costs of less then 50€ ! - -Virtually everything which has to be moved or rotated can be done now using this cheap components. No matter if it might be a window, door, shutter, cat or dog flap, Solarpanel which follows the sun, mooving spotlight, PTZ-camera or whatsoever. -