A4979
Microstepping Programmable Stepper Motor Driver
With Stall Detect and Short Circuit Protection
Description
Features and Benefits
The A4979 is a flexible microstepping motor driver with
built-intranslatorforeasyoperation.Itisasingle-chipsolution,
designed to operate bipolar stepper motors in full-, half-,
quarter- and sixteenth-step modes, at up to 50Vand 1.5A. The
A4979 can be controlled by simple Step and Direction inputs,
or through the SPI-compatible serial interface that also can be
used to program many of the integrated features and to read
diagnostic information.
• Typical application up to 1.5 A, 50 V
• Stall detect features
• Low RDS(on) outputs, 0.5 Ω source and sink, typical
• Automatic current decay mode detection/selection
• Mixed, Fast, and Slow current decay modes
• Synchronous rectification for low power dissipation
• Internal UVLO and Thermal Shutdown circuitry
• Crossover-current protection
• Short circuit and open load diagnostics
• Hot and cold thermal warning
• SPI-compatible or simple Step and Direction motion control
• Highly configurable via SPI-compatible serial interface
The current regulator can be programmed to operate in fixed
off-time or fixed frequency PWM, with several decay modes
to reduce audible motor noise and increase step accuracy.
In addition the phase current tables can be programmed via
the serial interface to create unique microstep current
profiles to further improve motor performance for
specific applications.
Applications
• Industrial stepper motor drives
• Printers
The current in each phase of the motor is controlled through a
DMOS full bridge, using synchronous rectification to improve
power dissipation. Internal circuits and timers prevent cross-
conduction and shoot-through, when switching between high-
side and low-side drives.
• Textile machines
Package: 28-pin TSSOP with exposed
thermal pad (suffix LP)
The outputs are protected from short circuits, and features
for low load current and stalled rotor detection are included.
Chip-levelprotectionincludes:hotandcoldthermalwarnings,
overtemperature shutdown, and undervoltage lockout.
TheA4979 is supplied in a 28-pin TSSOPpower package with
an exposed thermal pad (package type LP). This package is
lead (Pb) free with 100% matte-tin leadframe plating.
Not to scale
Typical Applications
Logic
Supply
Logic
Supply
VBB
VBB
CP1 CP2
VDD
STEP
DIR
MS0
MS1
ENABLE
RESETn
DIAG
CP1 CP2
VDD
STEP
DIR
MS0
MS1
ENABLE
RESETn
DIAG
VCP VBB
OAP
VCPVBB
OAP
OAM
OAM
Micro-
controller
or
Micro-
controller
or
Stepper
Motor
Stepper
Motor
A4979
OBP
A4979
OBP
REF
REF
SDI
SDI
ECU
ECU
SDO
SCK
STRn
SDO
SCK
STRn
OBM
OBM
VREG
VREG
SENSA
SENSB
SENSA
SENSB
OSC
OSC
AGND PGND
AGND PGND
Serial Interface Control
Parallel Control
A4979-DS, Rev. 1