About this module
The ZTM-6470 carries four ST L6470 dSPIN drivers in one SPI daisy chain, running from a 12–42 V supply. Each one is a complete motion controller: it ramps up and down on its own acceleration profile, counts absolute position, and microsteps anywhere from full step to 1/128.
Voltage-mode drive with programmable amplitude gives smooth, quiet motion, which matters when the motor is a peristaltic pump sitting next to your experiment. Each chip watches for stalls without a sensor, limits overcurrent, warns before it overheats and shuts down if it does. Every chip reports its status flags over SPI, and a Fault line on the ZapLink port tells the host when something needs attention.
The L6470 command set is simple: run at a speed in either direction, move a set number of steps, soft stop, or hard stop with the outputs off. Every register is accessible over SPI for finer control.
In Cirrus 1 it runs the three peristaltic pumps of the isopropyl alcohol loop: the filter loop, the return line and the wick feed. Three pumps, four channels. The fourth is waiting for a good idea.
Used in these projects
- Cirrus 1 cloud chamber. Runs the three peristaltic pumps of the IPA loop.
- SonoLuma1 sonoluminescence (in development). Planned for the stepper peristaltic pump in the bubble injector.
KEY FEATURES
- 4 stepper channels (ST L6470 dSPIN)
- On-chip acceleration profiles and absolute position counting
- Full step to 1/128 microstepping
- Smooth, quiet voltage-mode drive
- Sensorless stall detection, overcurrent and thermal protection
- 12–42 V supply
