ST PractiSPIN UM0696 User manual

October 2009 Doc ID 15599 Rev 2 1/15
UM0696
User manual
PractiSPIN™.spmd demonstration system
configuration and set up guide
Introduction
PractiSPIN™.spmd is a demonstration system that can be used with several
STMicroelectronics stepper motor driver modules.
The system consists of a graphical user interface (GUI) program which runs on an IBM-PC
under windows, a common ST7-based interface board that communicates with the PC and
the PractiSPIN™.spmd software via a serial COMM port, and a module-specific
demonstration board (target board) that connects to the ST7 interface board via a standard
34-pin ribbon cable interface, as shown in Figure 1.
The module demonstration board connects to the motor and to a user-supplied DC power
supply generally in the range of 12 to 48 VDC, plus a logical supply rated 5 VDC.
The PractiSPIN™.spmd system is designed to operate the target module under the control
of the PractiSPIN™.spmd software.
Figure 1. The PractiSPIN™.spmd system block diagram
AM04219v1
www.st.com

Contents UM0696
2/15 Doc ID 15599 Rev 2
Contents
1 System overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2 Starting PractiSPIN™.spmd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3 Stepper motor driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.1 Constant speed mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 Indexing mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4 STEVAL-SPMD250V1, STEVAL-SPMD250V2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5 STEVAL-SPMD150V1, STEVAL-SPMD150V2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
6 Revision history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

UM0696 List of figures
Doc ID 15599 Rev 2 3/15
List of figures
Figure 1. The PractiSPIN™.spmd system block diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Figure 2. PractiSPIN™ launch window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 3. Calibration window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure 4. PractiSPIN™.spmd constant speed mode window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 5. PractiSPIN™.spmd indexing mode window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 6. STEVAL-SPMD250V1 / STEVAL-SPMD250V2 demonstration system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 7. STEVAL-SPMD250V1 / STEVAL-SPMD250V2 schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 8. STEVAL-SPMD150V1 / STEVAL-SPMD150V2 demonstration system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 9. STEVAL-SPMD150V1 / STEVAL-SPDM150V2 schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

System overview UM0696
4/15 Doc ID 15599 Rev 2
1 System overview
The purpose of this document is to illustrate the operation of the complete system made up
by a module specific demonstration board (target board), the control board PractiSPIN™,
the SW PractiSPIN™.spmd and a stepper motor. For details concerning PractiSPIN™,
STEVAL-SPMD250V1, STEVAL-SPMD250V2, STEVAL-SPMD150V1 and STEVAL-
SPMD150V2, please refer to the specific application notes.
To be operated the target board needs two supply voltages and a stepper motor connected
to the proper connectors.
Through the control board and friendly user interface the PractiSPIN™.spmd system
supports the following measurements and demonstrations:
●to drive the module with normal or half step sequence
●to select the current recirculation mode
– slow decay
– fast decay
●to change the motor rotation
–forward
–reverse
●to fix the acceleration and deceleration ramp and the running speed
●to differentiate the motor current during the ramp
– normal working mode
– steady state mode
A sequence of moving and waiting times can be fixed and repeated indefinitely.
Note: For a detailed description of the control boards please refer to the PractiSPIN™ application
note.

UM0696 Starting PractiSPIN™.spmd
Doc ID 15599 Rev 2 5/15
2 Starting PractiSPIN™.spmd
Since the PractiSPIN™.spmd system is capable of supporting several module
demonstration boards the user must first select the module that is evaluated.
●Module demonstration board set up: configure the jumpers/switches on the target
board and the control board as described in the paragraph for the specific
demonstration board being used.
●Control board - PC connection: connect the control board to a serial COMM port of the
PC via a standard (straight through) 9 pin D connector cable.
●Powerup: energize the power supply
●Start PractiSPIN™.spmd software: on the PC, start the PractiSPIN™.spmd program
●Communication settings: click the drop down list under "port selection" and select the
COMM port being used. Baud rate and other communication parameters are fixed on
both sides of the link and do not need to be set.
●Establish COMM link: click the "connect to ST7 hardware". At this point the
PractiSPIN™.spmd software transmits several commands to the control board to
initialize the processor. The PractiSPIN™.spmd software reads the revision code of the
firmware currently stored in the Flash memory of the ST7 and determine if the correct
version of firmware resides in the ST7. If the PractiSPIN™.spmd software detects that
a firmware update is necessary, either because there is an old version of firmware or
the firmware currently in the Flash memory is not the correct firmware for the motor
type selected, one or more dialogue boxes appear asking if the program should
proceed with the update. Accept the updates and the PractiSPIN™.spmd software
automatically updates the firmware. The system then initializes the settings to the last
stored settings and open the appropriate PractiSPIN™.spmd software for the selected
target board.
Figure 2. PractiSPIN™ launch window
●Calibrate current setting: when communication is established the user has the option to
adjust the offset and maximum current settings. If this is the first time you use the
system, calibration may be needed to adjust out the offset in the reference bias
circuitry. Calibration ensures that the reference voltage provided to target module
follows the PractiSPIN™.spmd software current settings. Calibration is a two-step
process; first the offset is adjusted then the maximum current is set. Clicking on
"connect ST7 hardware" button, the calibration window appears.
AM04220v1

Starting PractiSPIN™.spmd UM0696
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Figure 3. Calibration window
●To null out the offset, click on calibrate zero (for details please refer to the specific target
board section).
●To set the maximum current click on calibrate max (for details please refer to the
specific target board section).
●Click done
AM04221v1

UM0696 Stepper motor driver
Doc ID 15599 Rev 2 7/15
3 Stepper motor driver
After the system has established the connection to the control board, it initializes the
settings to the last stored settings and open the PractiSPIN™.spmd GUI. For the stepper
motor, the system can operate in either a constant speed or positioning (indexing) mode.
The constant speed mode can easily be used to see that the system is working.
The stepper motor driving window, from which it is possible to select the motor working
configuration, appears.
3.1 Constant speed mode
Figure 4. PractiSPIN™.spmd constant speed mode window
●Speed control screen: a large blue button at the bottom of the screen should read,
"switch to indexing mode". If the button reads, "switch to speed control mode", click the
button once to go to speed control mode.
●Stepping mode: in the stepping mode box, select either normal or half step. Micro
stepping mode is only available when using the STEVAL-SPMD150STP.
●Device selection: in the device selection box, select the device being evaluated
●Direction: in the direction box, click the toggle switch to pick forward or reverse. This is
somewhat arbitrary since the direction sense of the motor is unknown. Once the motor
is running, toggle this switch to reverse the motor direction if desired. To reverse the
meaning of the forward and reverse designations, disable the motor (orange disable
button at bottom of screen) and then swap the motor wires at either CN3 or CN4.
●Decay mode: set the toggle switch to slow decay
●Acceleration rate: set the acceleration rate to about 1000 steps per sec2(steps/sec2).
In the PractiSPIN™.spmd system all motion parameters are given in terms of the basic
units of steps and seconds: position in steps, velocity in steps/sec, and
acceleration/deceleration in steps/sec2. In order to relate these settings to rotations,
RPM, and RPM/second it is necessary to know the number of steps (or half steps) per
rotation for the stepper motor being used. A common value is 200 steps or 400 half
steps per rotation.
AM04222v1

Stepper motor driver UM0696
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●Running speed: set running speed to about 100 steps/sec
●Deceleration rate: set deceleration rate to about 1000 steps/sec2
●Acceleration current: set acceleration current to about 25%. This is an initial guess as
to the required setting and may need further adjustment. Generally higher acceleration
rate settings require higher acceleration current settings so that the stepper motor does
not start to "slip poles" and fall behind the desired position. Since we have initially set
the acceleration rate setting quite low, 25% is probably adequate.
●Running current: set the running current to 25%. In practice the running current can
often be set to a lower value than the acceleration current since the torque requirement
is generally less during the constant speed part of the move. A lower running current
setting can help to keep the device and the motor running cooler.
●Deceleration current: set the deceleration current to 25%. Since friction aids in
decelerating the motor it may also be possible to set the deceleration current lower.
●Holding current: set the holding current to 25%. Whenever the motor is stopped (after a
run,) this level of current circulates in the motor so that it holds position against any
mechanical disturbance. In the case of a strong static load (perhaps a gravity load of
some sort) it may be necessary to increase this setting. If not much holding torque is
required, then the setting can be reduced so that operating temperatures can be held to
a minimum.
Note: Holding current is turned off (bridge completely disabled) whenever the disable button is
clicked.
●Run: make sure that the motor is free to turn in either direction and click the run button.
The motor should quickly come up to speed ((100 steps/sec)/(1000 steps/sec2) = 0.1
sec.). To change the motor direction, click the direction toggle switch. If the motor does
not run click the stop button, increase all four current settings to 50%, and click run
button. If the motor still does not run an oscilloscope and current probe should be used
to observe the motor current.
●Stop: click stop to stop the motor
After the basic operation of the system has been verified, the acceleration rates, top speed,
and current settings can be adjusted to see how the motor responds.

UM0696 Stepper motor driver
Doc ID 15599 Rev 2 9/15
3.2 Indexing mode
Figure 5. PractiSPIN™.spmd indexing mode window
The system can be switched to operate in the positioning (indexing) mode by clicking on
"switch to indexing mode". In the indexing mode a new box appears on the right of the
screen. You can enter up to twelve indexed movements in the box and the wait time between
each movement. When started, the software executes each movement by accelerating up to
the peak speed, moving the required number of steps and then decelerating back to a stop
so that the total distance moved is the number of steps indicated, then wait the indicated
time before starting the next movement. A negative number entered in the relative position
causes the motor to run in the "reverse" direction.
AM04223v1

STEVAL-SPMD250V1, STEVAL-SPMD250V2 UM0696
10/15 Doc ID 15599 Rev 2
4 STEVAL-SPMD250V1, STEVAL-SPMD250V2
To make the STEVAL-SPMD250V1 and STEVAL-SPMD250V2 boards operative, perform
the following simple steps:
●Connect the boards to the control board by means of the 34-wires flat cable and the
control board to the host PC.
●Connect the stepper motor to the P3 and P4 connectors
●Put jumpers on JR1, JR2, JR3
●Apply 5 V to P1 connector
●Apply motor voltage VS to P2 connector
●Launch the PractiSPIN™.spmd program on the host PC
●Click on "connect to ST7 hardware" and perform calibration
– Click on calibrate zero and verify that VTP3 is zero.
– Click on calibrate max and set the maximum current, corresponding to 100%
current setting in the PractiSPIN™.spmd software, adjusting the RV1 trimmer on
the target board until the voltage on VTP3 corresponds to the motor current. The
relationship between voltage/current is V = 0.165 Imotor.
●Click done and enter "speed control mode" or "indexing mode"
Figure 6. STEVAL-SPMD250V1 / STEVAL-SPMD250V2 demonstration system
AM04224v1

UM0696 STEVAL-SPMD250V1, STEVAL-SPMD250V2
Doc ID 15599 Rev 2 11/15
Figure 7. STEVAL-SPMD250V1 / STEVAL-SPMD250V2 schematic
AM04225v1
C8 220nF 16V
C3 220uF 63V
C7
100nF 50V
R5 100K
U2C
74HC14
5 6
R1 22K
1%
U2D
74HC14
9 8
R2 22K
1%
U2E
74HC14
11 10
C6
220nF
U2F
74HC14
13 12
C10 220nF 16V
T1 BC847
R8 100K +5V
TP2
V-
R7 1K N.M.
D1 LED N.M.
V-
PWM
VCC
+5V
J1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 21 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
18 20 22 24
C5 100nF 50V
+5V U1
SPMD250STP
GND
1
SYNC
2
RESET
3
HALF/FULL
4
HOME
5
STEPCLOCK
6
CW/CCW
7
OSC
8
Io_SET
9
CONTROL
10
ENABLE
11
VSS
12 GND 13
PHD 14 PHC 15
PHB 16 PHA 17
VS 18
P1
1
2
P2
1
2
P3
1 2
U2A
74HC14
1 2
DIAG
EN
C9
220nF16V
R3 4.3K VS
STEPCLOCK CONTROL CW_CCW/
R4 56 OHM
U4
ST3232
C1-
3
C2+
4
C2-
5
V-
6
T2o ut 7
R2in 8
R2out 9
T2i n 10
GND
15
T1o ut 14
C1+
1
T1i n 11
V+ 2
R1in 13
R1out 12
Vcc 16
- +
U3A LM358D
3 2
1
84
RESET/
- +
U3B LM358D
5 6
7
8
4
HALF_FULL/
RV1 1K
JR3
IOS
+5V
JR2
R6 10K
C11
220nF N.M.
16V
P4
1 2
TP1 TP3
C2 100nF 50V
C1 47uF 10V
C12
220nF 16V
JR1
+5V
C4 100nF 100V
+5V
GND
GND VREF
+5V
+5V
GND
VS
GND
PHA PHB PHC PHD
U2B
74HC14
3 4
14
7
N.M. = COMPONENTS NOT MOUNTED

STEVAL-SPMD150V1, STEVAL-SPMD150V2 UM0696
12/15 Doc ID 15599 Rev 2
5 STEVAL-SPMD150V1, STEVAL-SPMD150V2
To make the boards operative, perform the following simple steps:
●Connect them to the control board by means the 34-wire flat cable and the control
board to the host PC
●Connect the stepper motor to P3 and P4 connector
●Put jumpers on JR1, JR2, JR3A, JR3B
●Apply 5 V to P1 connector
●Apply motor voltage VS to P2 connector
●Launch the PractiSPIN™.spmd program on the host PC
●Click on "connect to ST7 hardware" and perform calibration
– Click on calibrate zero and trim R18 on control board until voltage on VREFA and
VREFB is zero.
– Click on calibrate max and set the maximum current, corresponding to 100%
current setting in the PractiSPIN™.spmd software, adjusting RV1 (VREFA) and
RV2 (VREFB) trimmers on the target board. The relationship voltage/current is
V = 0.165 Imotor.
●Click done and enter in "speed control mode" or "indexing mode"
Note: If the internal reference of SPMD150STP is used, connect jumpers JR1, JR2, JR5, JR6; in
this way the motor current is fixed and no more controlled by PractiSPIN™.spmd SW.
Figure 8. STEVAL-SPMD150V1 / STEVAL-SPMD150V2 demonstration system
AM04226v1

UM0696 STEVAL-SPMD150V1, STEVAL-SPMD150V2
Doc ID 15599 Rev 2 13/15
Figure 9. STEVAL-SPMD150V1 / STEVAL-SPDM150V2 schematic
AM04227v1
C14 220nF 16V
C3 220uF 63V
VREFB
C7 220nF C5 220nF
V-
JR3
C15 220nF 16V
T1 BC847
C8
1uF
JR4
+5V
CONTROL
JR2
C17
N.M.
RV4 N.M.
R1
10K
U3
SPMD150STP
Vss 1
VREFout
2
RES
3
STEPCK
4
CW/CCW
5
VREFA
6
RCA
7
EN
8
CONTROL
9
HALF/FULL
10
VREFB
11
RCB
12
GND
14
PHC 16 PHD 15
PHA 18 PHB 17
Vs 19
GND
13
R12 N.M.
DIAG
J1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 21 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
18 20 22 24
+5V
P1
1
2
P2
1
2
P3
1 2
C10 100nF
RES
C16
N.M.
RV3 N.M.
R6 22K
JR5
GND
C11
220nF 16V
R5
2.2K
VS
U2
ST3232
C1-
3
C2+
4
C2-
5
V-
6
T2out 7
R2in 8
R2out 9
T2in 10
GND
15
T1out 14
C1+
1
T1in 11
V+ 2
R1in 13
R1out 12
Vcc 16
STEPCK
- +
U1A LM358D
3 2
1
8
4
JR6
R11 2.67K
1%
RV1 5K
EN CW_CCW HALF_FULL
C12 N.M.
B A A B
P4
1 2
TP3
C6
1uF
TP1
+5V
C2 100nF 50V
C1 47uF 10V
+5V
R7 N.M.
+5V
C13
220nF 16V
R3 10K
TP4
C4 100nF 100V
R2 10K
TP5
+5V
GND
GND
VREFA
+5V
+5V
C9 100nF
VS
GND
PHA
T2 BC847
R4 10K
R9 22K
R8
2.2K
- +
U1B LM358D
5 6
7
8
4
N.M. = COMPONENTS NOT MOUNTED
PHB
RV2 5K R10
N.M.
+5V
PHC PHD
JR1
TP2

Revision history UM0696
14/15 Doc ID 15599 Rev 2
6 Revision history
Table 1. Document revision history
Date Revision Changes
08-May-2009 1Initial release.
19-Oct-2009 2 Inserted new board part numbers

UM0696
Doc ID 15599 Rev 2 15/15
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