Motor Configuration Guide

This guide explains the motor configurations available for ESP32 examples and tests, and how to select them.

Available Motor Configurations

1. MOTOR_17HS4401S_GEARBOX (Default)

Model: 17HS4401S-PG518 with 5.18:1 Planetary Gearbox

Specifications:

  • Rated Current: 1.68A RMS per phase
  • Step Angle: 1.8Β° (200 steps/rev motor, ~1036 steps/rev output)
  • Holding Torque: 40Ncm (motor), ~207Ncm (output with gearbox)
  • Gear Ratio: 5.18:1 (Planetary)
  • Output Steps/Rev: ~1036 steps

Driver Settings:

  • IRUN: 20 (~1.88A RMS, ~2.66A Peak)
  • IHOLD: 10 (~0.94A RMS, ~1.33A Peak)
  • GLOBAL_SCALER: 160
  • Microsteps: 256 (MRES=0)
  • StealthChop: Enabled with auto-calibration

Use Cases:

  • Applications requiring high torque and precision positioning
  • Systems needing smooth, quiet operation
  • High-resolution positioning applications

Power Supply: 2-3A recommended

2. MOTOR_17HS4401S_DIRECT

Model: 17HS4401S Direct Drive (No Gearbox)

Specifications:

  • Rated Current: 1.68A RMS per phase
  • Step Angle: 1.8Β° (200 steps/rev)
  • Holding Torque: 40Ncm
  • Gear Ratio: 1.0:1 (Direct Drive)
  • Output Steps/Rev: 200 steps

Driver Settings:

  • IRUN: 20 (~1.88A RMS, ~2.66A Peak)
  • IHOLD: 10 (~0.94A RMS, ~1.33A Peak)
  • GLOBAL_SCALER: 160
  • Microsteps: 256 (MRES=0)
  • StealthChop: Enabled with auto-calibration

Use Cases:

  • Applications requiring higher speed and lower torque
  • Direct drive systems
  • Systems where gearbox backlash is undesirable

Power Supply: 2-3A recommended

3. MOTOR_APPLIED_MOTION_5034

Model: Applied Motion Products 5034-369 NEMA 34

Specifications:

  • Rated Current: 4.17A RMS per phase (Bipolar Series)
  • Step Angle: 1.8Β° (200 steps/rev)
  • Holding Torque: 636 oz-in (4.5 Nm)
  • Resistance: 0.84 Ohms/phase (Bipolar Series)
  • Inductance: 10.4 mH/phase (Bipolar Series)
  • Gear Ratio: 1.0:1 (Direct Drive)
  • Output Steps/Rev: 200 steps

Driver Settings:

  • IRUN: 28 (~4.17A RMS, ~5.9A Peak)
  • IHOLD: 14 (~2.15A RMS, ~3.04A Peak)
  • GLOBAL_SCALER: 256 (Full scale)
  • Microsteps: 256 (MRES=0)
  • StealthChop: Enabled with auto-calibration

Use Cases:

  • High-torque applications requiring 4A+ current
  • Heavy-duty industrial applications
  • Systems requiring maximum holding torque

Power Supply: 5A+ continuous current required

WARNING: This motor requires significantly higher current than NEMA 17 motors. Ensure your power supply can deliver adequate current.

Current Calculation Details

All configurations use 0.05Ξ© sense resistors. Current is calculated using the TMC5160 datasheet formula:

1

I_RMS = (GLOBAL_SCALER/256) * ((IRUN+1)/32) * (VFS/RSENSE) * (1/√2)

Where:

  • VFS = 0.325V (typical full-scale voltage)
  • RSENSE = 0.05Ξ©

Example Calculation (17HS4401S with IRUN=20, GLOBAL_SCALER=160): 

1
2
3
4

I_RMS = (160/256) * ((20+1)/32) * (0.325/0.05) * 0.707
I_RMS = 0.625 * 0.65625 * 6.5 * 0.707
I_RMS β‰ˆ 1.88A RMS
I_Peak β‰ˆ 2.66A Peak

How to Select a Motor

Most examples use the TestRigConfig template which provides unified access to all configurations:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

// Select test rig at compile time - automatically selects motor, board, and platform
static constexpr tmc51x0_test_config::TestRigType SELECTED_TEST_RIG = 
    tmc51x0_test_config::TestRigType::TEST_RIG_CORE_DRIVER;

// Configure driver from test rig (automatically configures everything)
tmc51x0::DriverConfig cfg{};
tmc51x0_test_config::TestRigConfig<SELECTED_TEST_RIG>::ConfigureDriver(cfg);
// Or use convenience function:
tmc51x0_test_config::ConfigureDriverFromTestRig<SELECTED_TEST_RIG>(cfg);
driver.Initialize(cfg);

// Access configuration values
using Config = tmc51x0_test_config::TestRigConfig<SELECTED_TEST_RIG>;
float speed = Config::Test::Motion::BOUNDS_SEARCH_SPEED_RPM;
uint16_t steps = Config::GetMotorOutputFullSteps();

Available test rigs:

  • TEST_RIG_CORE_DRIVER: 17HS4401S motor (geared or direct), TMC51x0 EVAL board, reference switches, encoder
  • TEST_RIG_FATIGUE: Applied Motion 5034-369 NEMA 34 motor, TMC51x0 EVAL board, reference switches, encoder

Direct Struct Access

You can also access motor configuration structs directly:

1
2
3
4

// Access motor config values directly
uint16_t steps = MotorConfig_17HS4401S::OUTPUT_FULL_STEPS;
float gear_ratio = MotorConfig_17HS4401S::GEAR_RATIO;
uint16_t current = MotorConfig_17HS4401S::TARGET_RUN_CURRENT_MA;

Manual Motor Selection Method (Advanced)

For advanced use cases, you can manually configure:

1
2
3
4
5

tmc51x0::DriverConfig cfg{};
tmc51x0_test_config::ConfigureDriverFromMotor_17HS4401S_Gearbox(cfg);
tmc51x0_test_config::ApplyBoardConfig<tmc51x0_test_config::BoardType::BOARD_TMC51x0_EVAL>(cfg);
tmc51x0_test_config::ApplyPlatformConfig<tmc51x0_test_config::PlatformType::PLATFORM_CORE_DRIVER_TEST_RIG>(cfg);
driver.Initialize(cfg);

Motor Configuration Structs

Each motor has its own configuration struct in esp32_tmc51x0_test_config.hpp:

  • MotorConfig_17HS4401S - Geared version (struct with static constexpr members)
  • MotorConfig_17HS4401S_Direct - Direct drive version (struct with static constexpr members)
  • MotorConfig_AppliedMotion_5034_369 - Applied Motion NEMA 34

These structs contain static constexpr members for:

  • Physical motor specifications
  • Target current settings (automatically calculated to IRUN, IHOLD, GLOBAL_SCALER)
  • Chopper configuration (TOFF, HEND, HSTRT, TBL)
  • StealthChop settings
  • Ramp profile defaults

Test Rig Configuration

The project uses two test rigs, each with a specific motor, board, and platform configuration:

  1. Core Driver Test Rig (TEST_RIG_CORE_DRIVER):
    • Motor: 17HS4401S motor with gearbox (default) or direct drive
    • Board: TMC51x0 Evaluation Kit (BOARD_TMC51x0_EVAL)
    • Platform: Core Driver Test Rig (PLATFORM_CORE_DRIVER_TEST_RIG)
    • Features: Reference switches, encoder (AS5047U), gearbox or direct drive
    • Used for: Most comprehensive tests, core driver functionality
  2. Fatigue Test Rig (TEST_RIG_FATIGUE):
    • Motor: Applied Motion 5034-369 motor (MOTOR_APPLIED_MOTION_5034)
    • Board: TMC51x0 Evaluation Kit (BOARD_TMC51x0_EVAL)
    • Platform: Fatigue Test Rig (PLATFORM_FATIGUE_TEST_RIG)
    • Features: Reference switches, encoder (AS5047U), direct drive (NEMA 34)
    • Used for: Bounds finding and point-to-point fatigue motion (fatigue_test_espnow_unit, internal_ramp_sinusoidal)

Important Notes

  1. Motor Selection is Compile-Time Only: Changing motors requires recompiling the firmware.

  2. Power Supply Requirements: Ensure your power supply can handle the selected motor’s current requirements:
    • 17HS4401S motors: 2-3A recommended
    • Applied Motion 5034-369: 5A+ required
  3. Wiring Verification: After changing motors, verify:
    • Motor wiring matches selected motor specifications
    • Power supply capacity is adequate
    • Sense resistor values match (0.05Ξ© assumed)
  4. StealthChop Calibration: All motors use StealthChop with auto-calibration. The motor will automatically calibrate during operation:
    • AT#1: Standstill calibration (130ms+ at standstill)
    • AT#2: Motion calibration (move at 60-300 RPM for ~400 fullsteps)
  5. Gearbox Considerations:
    • Geared motors provide higher torque but lower speed
    • Direct drive motors provide higher speed but lower torque
    • Output resolution differs: geared motor has ~1036 steps/rev output vs 200 steps/rev for direct drive

Troubleshooting

Motor Not Moving

  1. Check power supply voltage (12-36V required)
  2. Verify motor current settings match your motor
  3. Check StealthChop calibration status (may need time to calibrate)
  4. Verify EN pin is properly connected and enabled

Incorrect Current

  1. Verify sense resistor value (0.05Ξ© assumed)
  2. Check IRUN/IHOLD values match your motor rating
  3. Verify GLOBAL_SCALER setting

Motor Overheating

  1. Reduce IRUN value
  2. Check motor wiring (phases may be swapped)
  3. Verify motor is not mechanically overloaded
  4. Check power supply voltage is within range

See Also

Navigation: ← Previous: Dev Board Setup Index Next: Driver Configuration Guide β†’