Category: Embedded Development

HEXFET Driver Stage

This show a classic HEXFET half-bridge driver. IR2103 takes 3.3V logic in form of PWM and convert it into levels that can drive the HEXFET’s. This is called a Gate Driver. It’s purpose is to deliver signals on correct voltage levels to drive the HEXFET’s. A typical minimum for a gate driver is 10ich Volt. The…

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Stepper Motor Controller

RAMPS are great for driving stepper motors for 3D printers because they are small and cost around 1.- GBP each. They are quite capable of controlling steppers up to 2A with some heat sinks, but controlling steppers above that is a challenge. Available controllers are large and tend to be expensive. Looking at the 3-phase…

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3D Printer

I have a Prusa i3 3D printer that I purchased from Hong Kong a few years ago. It was a DIY kit costing around 280.- USD at the time. The printer was good value, but I ran into several problems with it’s control system. The one I use is based on Arduino, but with re-designed electronics…

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DRV8301

DRV8301 is a pre-amplifier for 3-phase motor controllers. It is programmable through SPI, handle 60V, contains a 1,5A buck converter and support for 2 current sensors. DRV8302, DRV8303 and DRV8305 are other variants of this. I really want to dig into DRV8305, but they are a bit hard to get and I had my eyes…

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Mini Stepper Controllers

This is 2-axis (below) and 3-axis stepper controller for the 28BYJ-48 5-wire stepper motors. The 2-axis version is 55 x 15mm, while the 3-axis one is 50 x 30 mm. They both contain the same electronics (except for connectors), but the 3-axis one is single side assembly. Both uses STM32F103Cx.