![]() Motor current can be set arbitrarily through the firmware.You don't have to fiddle with jumpers to set your micro-steps, just change it in the firmware, and you can dynamically change the amount of current going to each stepper motor (no more adjusting that small potentiometer on the driver board) just by sending a GCode command (M906). In short, Mode 3 allows the TMC2208-based SilentStepStick to be actively/dynamically controlled through UART (serial communications) by firmware (Marlin in this case). The intent of this Instructable is to expand upon his work (in terms of explanation) and make it more approachable to the less technical Makers out there. YouTube creator Alex Kenis has put out a great video on this option in which he explores the best micro-step settings in firmware and driver voltage levels (12V vs 24V), to get the most torque from your motors.(edit: Alex Kenis put out an update video on this process and goes into a lot more detail) Mode 3 (Active STEP/DIR Driver): This mode is what this Instructable is all about. So I would recommend operating these chips in the default stealthChop2 mode for a while, to see if you get any skipped steps, before considering changing them to the spreadCycle mode by setting these OTP bits. Once you "set" these bits you make a permanent change in the silicon of the chip and this cannot be reversed. Note, these OTP bits are truly one-time programmable. Mode 2 (Standalone Mode): This mode has been explained very well by YouTube creator Keith Young in which he shows you how to solder the header pins to the SilentStepStick board and then set/program the OTP (one-time programmable) bits to change the chip from stealthChop2 mode to spreadCycle mode. Mode 1 (Legacy Mode): this has already been discussed in the opening paragraph of this Instructable, basically solder on header pins, stick on a heat sink so it looks just like a Pololu A4988 board, and plug it into the Ramps board. Active STEP/DIR Driver with full UART serial control giving full diagnostics and control over the stepper motors.Standalone mode (no active serial communications) with the STEP/DIR settings being preset by setting the OTP (One Time Programmable) bits.Legacy mode: Direct plug-in replacement for the Pololu A4988 on a Ramps 1.4 - 1.6 style board. ![]() With these TMC2208-based SilentStepSticks, the only option really discussed anywhere on the web is for direct plug-and-play replacement of the Pololu A4988 drivers (which doesn't give you the benefits of the UART serial communication for control over your stepper motors), but the TMC2208 driver is actually capable of three different modes of operation in controlling the stepper motors of your 3D printer: See Step 10 for details on how to find these current Pin assignments. The photo above shows my Y-cables in different positions to what they would be now, in the current version of Marlin. In this Instructable, I will try to alleviate this by taking you through a step-by-step setup of how to use a TMC2208 based SilentStepStick in a UART configuration on your 3D printer.ĮDIT-August 2018: When I originally wrote this Instructable, the default Pin assignments within Marlin were different from what they are now. However, there is very little information written in layman's/Maker's terms regarding how to actually wire up this stepper motor driver board, to a traditional Ramps 1.4 to 1.6 style Arduino shield, in order to use the feature of serial communications over UART to control the stepper motors. The TMC2208 is also used by the German manufacturer Watterott in their SilentStepStick stepper motor driver product series. These little chips are making waves throughout the consumer and prosumer 3D printer markets due to their astonishing ability to render a 3D printer practically silent. Most people who are involved with DIY 3D printers or just like tinkering with a Maker-Grade commercial printer, will have heard of the Trinamic series of stepper motor driver chips.
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