Yes.
In general, the stepper motor will be connected to a driver. On one side of the driver are the high current lines for energising the stepper coils. On the other side are the low-voltage signals from the controller. Generally there are two control signals: STEP and DIR.
So, every stepper motor needs two GPIO pins to control it. There are plenty of GPIO pins on the Pi to drive four stepper motors (eight GPIO pins).
As each motor has its own pair of GPIO pins they are basically independent. But, if you pulse the STEP lines for each motor one after the other in quick succession they will appear to move simultaneously.
You'll have to do some experiments to decide which stepper motor you need. They are available in various sizes and torques. There is a ton of information about these on the web. There is a cheap stepper called 28byj-48 which operates slightly differently, but if it's torquey enough for you it might work.
Having said all that, if you want to control four stepper motors you could look into adapting a 3D printer control board. It essentially has four stepper drivers (X, Y, Z, and extruder) and a controller. Talk to it with G-code, or replace the firmware on the controller. Maybe it's just what you want.
In general, the stepper motor will be connected to a driver. On one side of the driver are the high current lines for energising the stepper coils. On the other side are the low-voltage signals from the controller. Generally there are two control signals: STEP and DIR.
So, every stepper motor needs two GPIO pins to control it. There are plenty of GPIO pins on the Pi to drive four stepper motors (eight GPIO pins).
As each motor has its own pair of GPIO pins they are basically independent. But, if you pulse the STEP lines for each motor one after the other in quick succession they will appear to move simultaneously.
You'll have to do some experiments to decide which stepper motor you need. They are available in various sizes and torques. There is a ton of information about these on the web. There is a cheap stepper called 28byj-48 which operates slightly differently, but if it's torquey enough for you it might work.
Having said all that, if you want to control four stepper motors you could look into adapting a 3D printer control board. It essentially has four stepper drivers (X, Y, Z, and extruder) and a controller. Talk to it with G-code, or replace the firmware on the controller. Maybe it's just what you want.
Statistics: Posted by ame — Fri Jan 05, 2024 12:56 am