Motor Driver Compatibility - bdring/4_Axis_SPI_CNC GitHub Wiki

Motor Driver Compatibility

This CNC controller is only compatible with Trinamic SPI motor drivers in SPI mode. It is not compatible traditional (non SPI) controllers, such as the Allegro A4988 or the TI DRV8825. It will not work with Trinamic drivers that are setup for a "stand alone" mode.

I have tested with the following Trinamic drivers.

• TMC2130 - This is a lower cost and medium power driver
• TMC5160 - This is a higher cost and high power driver

Other SPI driver types should work if they are in SPI mode.

Where to buy

I usually get them form Amazon, but eBay, AliExpress, Digikey, Mouser, etc. also have them. I am reluctant to provide links, because they change often. The BigTreeTech brand is my favorite. The quality looks very good and they have always worked for me. For this controller all 16 pins pins must point down. If some pin also point up, that is OK.

For bigTreeTech TMC2130 get version V3, for the TMC5160, get any version

Installation

Be sure to orient the driver correctly. The see the labels of the corner pins and match them to the labels on the controller. This is very important. If you apply power with the wrong orientation, you will destroy the driver, the ESP32 and possible the controller PCB.

If the driver has a pot, or upward pointing pins, these will not be used.