Stepper motors have undemanding power supply requirements and do not require voltage regulation. A transformer with a similar voltage rating, after rectification and filtering, is sufficient as long as the current requirement can be met.

Switching power supplies are not recommended for stepper motors. This is because switching power supplies feature peak current protection, while stepper drives frequently generate peak currents. In addition, power supply solutions consisting of a transformer plus rectifier circuitry offer higher reliability than switching power supplies.

Components of the Stepper Motor Driver Control System

Typically, a stepper motor drive system consists of three parts: control circuit, drive circuit and stepper motor. Their main functions are described as follows:

① Control Circuit: Generates pulses to control the speed and rotation direction of the motor.

② Drive Circuit: This is the research subject of this paper. It comprises pulse signal distribution circuitry and power drive circuitry as shown in Figure 1. In accordance with pulse and direction signals input from the controller, it supplies power to each winding of the stepper motor in the correct sequence, and provides the high voltage and large current required by the motor. Meanwhile, it implements multiple protection functions including overcurrent protection and overheating protection.

③ Stepper Motor: Driven by control signals amplified by the driver, the stepper motor drives the connected load.