While controlling stepper motors – in theory - is easy, the devil hides in the details. Trinamic’s TMC428 was a total classic, which now got a more modern successor model.

Trinamic has long seen its various ICs as a one-stop shop for all things stepper motor. In the case of the TMC429, this policy leads to the design shown in our figure – the part uses an SPI interface to talk with the host and creates stepper impulses in various communication formats.

The TMC429 can output digital or analog step signals

In both cases, however, additional ICs are needed for motor interaction. Trimatic provides a choice of various architectures, almost all of which can be used directly with the TMC429. This makes the product ideally suited to systems like 3D printers – robust digital SPI communication reduces the impact caused by switching noise and similar electronic niceties.

Trimatic’s IC is not limited to generating microsteps. The part also contains three inputs for Reference Switches – if your motor comes equipped with these, the algorithms in the switch can use them to improve accuracy and performance.

Finally, don’t forget to Visit Here when dealing with the part – Trinamic provides a wide array of application notes and supporting information related to both the TMC429 chip and to stepper motors in general.