Stepperdrivers diode protection ?
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I know the stepperdrivers are quite solid, but since they are not easily replaceable in case of damage, wouldn't it be a good idea to protect them with clamping diodes to V+ and GND ?
To protect the drivers from overvoltages when disconnecting steppers when they get the full current or moving around with the carriage while not powered … -
All stepper driver chips have clamping diodes built in. Even so, if you move them around by hand very quickly, there is the possibility that they could generate excessive voltage. Having a PanelDue connected helps, because the 5V regulator kicks in and the backlight current draw helps to keep the voltage down. At the same time, the backlight coming on warns you that something undesirable is happening.
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All stepper driver chips have clamping diodes built in.
Thank you David.
I knew it was still a possible issue with the TMC2100 … I had some Schottky diodes (B2100) clamped to V+ and GND to protect them and didn't see this in the drawings for these ones... -
To provide serious additional protection to stepper drivers, you need to use varistors, inductors and capacitors. See page 20 of the TMC2130 datasheet for an example.
