Keyes 9V A4988 Controller and Driver Module

This kit is ideally suited to controlling stepper motors using a 3 wire control style. The set is comprised of a driver and breakout board. The board includes on board step selection switches as well as a 4 wire connector socket for the motor. Furthermore there are 4 unsoldered holes if you wish to solder in an alternative connector.

This is the A4988 module which allows you to build in stepper controlled motors to your projects, controlling the speed and direction with steps and direction. This can be used with a wide range of microcontrollers including Arduino and Raspberry Pi. These are the standard drivers used in a number of 3D printers including the current iteration of RAMPS 1.4 control board.

The driver requires a pulse and a direction, which are supplied through the breakout board. These inputs are then used by the driver to control the current through the loops of the motors. Each pulse is used to turn the motor shaft by a fraction of a rotation. Typically 200 pulses will drive the shaft one whole circle – termed full step mode. This means that every pulse turns the shaft 1.8 degrees. Changing the rate of pulses affects the smoothness of the rotation. The higher the rate is, the smoother the rotation. A greater number of steps allows for finer accuracy of rotation, however it comes at a cost to torque, the force of rotation.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further information regarding the module's operation.