Move a Stepper Motor NEMA 17 to an Exact Position With a Button

In this tutorial we will learn how to move a stepper motor NEMA 17 for a certain amount of steps, and then with a push of a button repeat it again.

Watch the Video!

Step 1: What You Will Need

• Arduino UNO (Or any other Arduino)
• Stepper motor NEMA 17
• A4988 Stepper Motor Driver or (DRV8825)
• DRV8825/A4988 Stepper Driver Expansion Module
• Jumper wires
• Breadboard
• 1K ohm resistor
• Button
• Power Supply 12V
• Visuino program: Download Visuino

Step 2: Brought by PCBWay

Thank you PCBWay for supporting this tutorial and helping users learn more about electronics.

What I like about the PCBWay is that you can get 10 boards for approximately $5 which is really cost effective for professional made boards, not to mention how much time you save!

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Step 3: The Circuit

Step 4: Start Visuino, and Select the Arduino UNO Board Type

The Visuino: https://www.visuino.com also needs to be installed. Download Free version or register for a Free Trial.

Start Visuino as shown in the first picture Click on the “Tools” button on the Arduino component (Picture 1) in Visuino When the dialog appears, select “Arduino UNO” as shown on Picture 2

Step 5: In Visuino Add Components

Step 6: In Visuino Set Components

• Select “PulseGenerator1” and in the properties window set “Frequency” to 2000 << this will be the speed of the stepper motor, you can adjust it to your needs
• Select “UnsignedToDigital1” and in the properties window set “Output Pins” to 1
• Select “Counter1” and in the properties window set “Initial Value” to 5000 << this will be the amount of steps of the stepper motor, you can adjust it to your needs
• Select “Counter1” and in the properties window set “Max“>”Value” to 5000 << this will be the amount of steps of the stepper motor, you can adjust it to your needs
• Select “Counter1” and in the properties window set “Max“>”Roll Over” to False
• Select “Counter1” and in the properties window set “Min“>”Roll Over” to False
• Select “Counter1” and in the properties window set “Max“>”Value” to 0
• Double click on the “Counter1” and in the Elements window Drag “Set Value” to the Left side
• Close the Elements window

Step 7: In Visuino Connect Components

• Connect “PulseGenerator1” Pin[Out] to “Counter1” Pin [In]
• Connect Arduino Board Digital Pin [7] to “Button1” Pin [In]
• Connect “Button1” Pin [Out] to “Counter1” > ‘Set Value 1” Pin [In]
• Connect “Counter1” Pin [Out] to “UnsignedToDigital1” Pin [In]
•  Connect “UnsignedToDigital1” Pin [Out] to  Arduino Board Digital Pin [2]

Step 8: Generate, Compile, and Upload the Arduino Code

In Visuino, at the bottom click on the “Build” Tab, make sure the correct port is selected, then click on the “Compile/Build and Upload” button.

Step 9: Play