Overview

This product is a carrier board or breakout board for TI’s DRV8880 stepper motor driver; we therefore recommend careful reading of the DRV8880 datasheet before using this product. This stepper motor driver lets you control one bipolar stepper motor at up to 1.6 A output current per coil (see the Power Dissipation Considerations section below for more information). Here are some of the driver’s key features:

• Simple step and direction control interface
• Six different step resolutions: full-step, half-step, non-circular half-step, 1/4-step, 1/8-step, and 1/16-step
• Adjustable current control lets you set the maximum current output with a potentiometer, which lets you use voltages above your stepper motor’s rated voltage to achieve higher step rates
• Digital inputs for dynamically scaling the current limit to 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the limit set by the potentiometer, which lets you reduce power consumption in situations where full speed or torque is not required
• Ten different decay mode options:
  • AutoTune (enabled by default): automatically selects the decay mode each PWM cycle for optimal current regulation performance and to compensate for motor variation and aging effects
  • Fixed decay modes: nine different combinations of mixed, fast, and slow decay on increasing and decreasing steps
• 6.5 V to 45 V supply voltage range
• Built-in regulator (no external logic voltage supply needed)
• Can interface directly with 3.3 V and 5 V systems
• Over-temperature thermal shutdown, over-current shutdown, short circuit protection, and under-voltage lockout
• 4-layer, 2 oz copper PCB for improved heat dissipation
• Exposed solderable ground pad below the driver IC on the bottom of the PCB
• Module size, pinout, and interface match those of our A4988 stepper motor driver carriers in most respects (see the bottom of this page for more information)

This product ships with all surface-mount components—including the DRV8880 driver IC—installed as shown in the product picture.

For alternative, pin-compatible stepper motor drivers, consider our DRV8825 carrier, DRV8834 carrier, or MP6500 carrier. The DRV8825 and MP6500 can deliver more current, and the DRV8834 operates down to 2.5 V, making it suitable for low-voltage applications.

Some unipolar stepper motors (e.g. those with six or eight leads) can be controlled by this driver as bipolar stepper motors. For more information, please see the frequently asked questions. Unipolar motors with five leads cannot be used with this driver.

Included hardware

The DRV8880 stepper motor driver carrier ships with one 1×18-pin breakaway 0.1″ male header strip. The headers can be soldered in for use with solderless breadboards or 0.1″ female connectors. You can also solder your motor leads and other connections directly to the board.

Using the driver

Minimal wiring diagram for connecting a microcontroller to a DRV8880 stepper motor driver carrier (1/8-step mode).

Dimensions

General specifications

Identifying markings

Notes:

1

Without included optional headers.

2

Without a heat sink or forced air flow.

3

With sufficient additional cooling.

4

This driver works with 1.8 V to 5.3 V logic. It does not take an external logic power supply.