Stepper motors are widely used in various applications that require precise and controlled movements. To effectively drive a stepper motor, a reliable and efficient stepper motor driver is essential. One such driver is the TB6600, known for its versatility and compatibility with NEMA 23 motors.

In this article, we will move a stepper motor back and forth according to the value set on the Oled screen with the help of a rotary encoder.

Before you start, it may be useful to take a look at these articles: Stepper Motors, KY-040 Rotary Encoder, TB660 Motor Driver.

The materials we will use in this application are:

• Nema 23 stepper motor (Model No: 57BHH82-300E-21BE)
• TB6600 Motor driver
• Arduino Uno
• KY-040 Rotary Encoder
• Oled Screen
• Jumper Cables
• Breadboard
• Mean Well LRS-50-12 Power Supply

Making Connections

According to the information in the PDF of the Stepper Motor below, we will make the parallel connection on the TB6600 motor driver.

High Voltage Side of the TB6600

Vcc – 12V Output of the Power Supply

GND – GND Output of the Power Supply

(A+) – Red and Blue Wires of Stepper Motor

(A-) – Yellow and Black wires of Stepper Motor

(B+) – White and Brown wires of Stepper Motor

(B-) – Orange and Green wires of Stepper Motor

*Please check the cables and colors of the stepper motor you have. Some motors may have 4 wires and some motors may have 8 wires.

Signal Side of the TB6600

PUL(-) and DIR(-) to Arduino’s GND

PUL(+) to Arduino’s D5 pin

DIR(+) to Arduino’s D2 pin

ENA(+) to Arduino’s D8 pin

Set Dip Switch of TB6600 for Current and Microstep needs

Wiring Rotary Encoder

Encoder A to Arduino’s D6 pin

Encoder B to Arduino’s D7 pin

Encoder Button (sw) to Arduino’s D12 pin.

*For sw of Encoder: connection from 5V to D12. connection from D12 via 10k to GND

Wiring OLED Display

Vcc to Arduino’s 5V

Gnd to Arduino’s GND

SCL to Arduino’s A4

SDA to Arduino’s A5

CODE For the Application

Upload this Code to your Arduino Board via Arduino IDE after connections made carefully.

const int stepPin = 5; 
const int dirPin = 2; 
const int enPin = 8;

#define encoderA 6
#define encoderB 7
#define encoderButon 12 // connection from 5V to D12. connection from D12 via 10k to GND

int counter = 0; 
int aState;
int aLastState; 

void stepMotor();
void Gui();
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>
#include <Adafruit_SH1106.h>

#define OLED_RESET 4
Adafruit_SH1106 display(OLED_RESET);

#define LOGO16_GLCD_HEIGHT 16 
#define LOGO16_GLCD_WIDTH  16 

#if (SH1106_LCDHEIGHT != 64)
#error("Height incorrect, please fix Adafruit_SH1106.h!");
#endif

void setup() 
{
    Serial.begin (9600);
    display.begin(SH1106_SWITCHCAPVCC, 0x3C);  // initialize with the I2C addr 0x3D (for the 128x64)
    display.clearDisplay();

    pinMode(stepPin,OUTPUT); 
    pinMode(dirPin,OUTPUT);
    pinMode(enPin,OUTPUT);
    digitalWrite(enPin,LOW);

    pinMode (encoderA,INPUT);
    pinMode (encoderB,INPUT);
    pinMode (encoderButon,INPUT);
   
    aLastState = digitalRead(encoderA);   // Reads the initial state of the encoderA
}

void loop() 
{
    int buton_state = digitalRead(encoderButon);
            
    if(buton_state == 0)
    {
      aState = digitalRead(encoderA); // Reads the "current" state of the encoderA
      // If the previous and the current state of the encoderA are different, that means a Pulse has occured
      if (aState != aLastState)
      {     
        // If the outputB state is different to the outputA state, that means the encoder is rotating clockwise
        if (digitalRead(encoderB) != aState) 
        { 
          counter =counter +5;
        } 
        else 
        {
          counter =counter -5;
        }
        Serial.print("Position: ");
        Serial.println(counter);       
      } 
      aLastState = aState; // Updates the previous state of the outputA with the current state
           
      if(digitalRead(buton_state)!=0)
      {
        Gui();
        buton_state=0;
      }
    } 
     
    else if(buton_state == 1)
    {      
      stepMotor();
    }    
   
    
}    

void stepMotor()
{  
  if(counter >= 0)
  {  
    digitalWrite(dirPin,HIGH); // Enables the motor to move in a particular direction
    for(int x = 0; x < counter; x++) 
    {
      digitalWrite(stepPin,HIGH); 
      delayMicroseconds(1000); 
      digitalWrite(stepPin,LOW); 
    }
    delay(200); 
  }
  
  if(counter < 0) 
  {
    int counterP = counter*(-1); //turns into negative value to positive
    
    digitalWrite(dirPin,LOW); //Changes the direction of rotation
    for(int x = 0; x < counterP; x++) 
    {
      digitalWrite(stepPin,HIGH);
      delayMicroseconds(1000);
      digitalWrite(stepPin,LOW);
    }  
    delay(200);
  }
}

void Gui()
{
    display.clearDisplay();
    display.setTextSize(2);
    display.setTextColor(WHITE);
    
    display.setCursor(55,25);
    display.println(counter);
    
    display.display();
    
}

Output of the Application

Here, you can watch the forward and reverse rotation of a stepper motor using the TB6600 driver and Rotary Encoder, according to the values set on the OLED screen.