Raspberry Pi Stepper Motor Control with NEMA 17

The NEMA 17 is a widely used class of stepper motor used in 3D printers, CNC machines, linear actuators, and other precision engineering applications where accuracy and stability are essential. The NEMA-17HS4023 is introduced here, which is a version of the NEMA 17 that has dimensions 42mm x 42mm x 23mm (Length x Width x Height). In this tutorial, the stepper motor is controlled by a DRV8825 driver wired to a Raspberry Pi 4 computer. The Raspberry Pi uses Python to control the motor using an open-source motor library. The wiring and interfacing between the NEMA 17 and Raspberry Pi is given, with an emphasis on the basics of stepper motors. The DRV8825 control parameters in the Python stepper library are broken down to educate users on how the varying of each parameter impacts the behavior of the NEMA 17. Simple characteristics of stepper control are explored: stepper directivity (clockwise and counterclockwise), step incrementing (full step, half step, micro-stepping, etc.), and step delay.

Arduino Servo Motor Basics and Control

In this tutorial, an Arduino board will be used to power and control a small servo motor. The basics and composition of an SG90 will be explored, and the application of several servo codes and applications will be given for another type of servo motor, the MG90S. The goal of this project is to introduce users into the workings of a servo motor, how PWM (pulse-width modulation) controls a servo motor, and how Arduino can interface with servo motors to produce desired movements to great precision.