Stepper Driver Noise: A4988 vs DRV8825

We made a video to show the difference in noise between the Pololu A4988 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier, which has 1/16 steps, and the DRV8825 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier which has 1/32 steps. These drivers are common in RepRap 3D printers. The resistor soldered onto the DRV8825 is not required on their latest versions of the board.

The goal for this video was originally to capture the difference in sound that I noticed when I switched from one driver to the other, and this test seemed to do that. I updated it to be a bit more scientific than it was originally by carefully setting the current limit, adjusting the steps per unit, and including details about the setup.

For this test:

  • 12.17V DC 
  • Kysan 1124090 (1.8°, 1.5A/phase) stepper motor
  • 18T Aluminum GT2 2mm Belt/Pulley
  • PLA bushings on W1 tool steel smooth rod with white lithium grease
  • 1.3A current limit using VREF method

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