User Manual

DM556T
2-Phase Digital Stepper Drive
 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual

Table of Contents
1. Introductions ....................................................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Features .................................................................................................................................................................. 2
1.2 Applications ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
2. Specifications ................................................................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Electrical Specifications ..........................................................................................................................................2
2.2 Environment ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.3 Mechanical Specifications ...................................................................................................................................... 3
2.4 Elimination of Heat .................................................................................................................................................3
3. Connection Pin Assignments and LED Indication ...........................................................................................................4
3.1 Connector P1 Configurations ................................................................................................................................. 4
3.2 Connector P2 Configurations ................................................................................................................................. 4
3.3 LED Light Indication ................................................................................................................................................5
4. Control Signal Connector (P1) Interface ......................................................................................................................... 5
5. Motor Connection ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
5.1 Connections of 4-lead Motor ................................................................................................................................. 5
5.2 Connections of 6-lead Motor ................................................................................................................................. 5
5.2.1 Half Coil Configuration ............................................................................................................................... 6
5.2.2 Full Coil Configuration ................................................................................................................................6
5.3 Connections of 8-lead Motor ................................................................................................................................. 6
5.3.1 Series Connection .......................................................................................................................................6
5.3.2 Parallel Connection .................................................................................................................................... 7
6. Power Supply Selection ................................................................................................................................................... 7
6.1 Regulated or Unregulated Power Supply ...............................................................................................................7
6.2 Power Supply Sharing .............................................................................................................................................7
6.3 Selecting Supply Voltage ........................................................................................................................................ 7
7. DIP Switch Configurations ............................................................................................................................................... 8
7.1 Microstep Resolution Configurations .................................................................................................................... 8
7.2 Current Configurations ...........................................................................................................................................8
7.2.1 Dynamic Current Configurations ............................................................................................................... 9
7.2.2 Standstill Current Configuration ................................................................................................................ 9
7.3 Automatic Motor Matching & Self Configuration ..................................................................................................9
8. Wiring Notes .................................................................................................................................................................... 9
9. Typical Connection ...........................................................................................................................................................9
10. Sequence Chart of Control Signals ..............................................................................................................................10
11. Protection Functions ................................................................................................................................................... 11
12. Troubleshooting ...........................................................................................................................................................11

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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual

1. Introductions

The DM556T is a digital stepper drive with simple design and easy setup. By implementing advanced stepper control
technology, this stepper drive is able to power 2-phase and 4 phase stepper motors smoothly with optimal torque and
low motor heating & noise. Its operating voltage is 20-50VDC and it can output up to 5.6A current. All the micro step
and output current are done via DIP switches. Therefore, the DM556T are ideal choices for applications requiring
simple step & direction control of NEMA 23, 24 and 34 stepper motors.

1.1 Features

 Anti-Resonance for optimal torque, extra smooth motion, low motor heating and noise
 Motor auto-identification and parameter auto-configuration for optimal torque from wide-range motors
 Step & direction (PUL/DIR) control
 Multi-Stepping for smooth motor movement
 TTL compatible and optically isolated inputs
 Input voltage 20-50VDC
 16 selectable micro-step resolutions of 400-25,600 via DIP switches
 8 selectable output current settings of 1.8 – 5.6A via DIP switches
 Soft-start with no “jump” when powered on
 Pulse input frequency up to 200 KHz.
 Automatic idle-current reduction
 Protections for over-voltage and over-current

1.2 Applications

The DM556T stepper drive are designed to power 2 phase (1.8°) or 4-phase (0.9°) NEMA 23, 24, and 34 hybrid
stepper motors. It can be easily adopted in many industries (CNC, medical, automation, packaging…), such as X-Y
tables, engraving machines, labeling machines, mills, plasma, laser cutters, pick and place devices, and so on. Its
excellent performance, simple design, and easy setup make it ideal for many step & direction control type
applications.

2. Specifications

2.1 Electrical Specifications

DM556T
Parameters
Min Typical Max Unit
Output Current 1.8 - 5.6(4.0 RMS) A
Supply Voltage 20 24 - 48 50 VDC
Logic signal current 7 10 16 mA
Pulse input frequency 0 - 200 kHz
Minimal pulse width 2.5 - - μS
Minimal direction setup 5.0 - - μS
Isolation resistance 500 MΩ

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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual
2.2 Environment

Cooling Natural Cooling or Forced cooling

Environment Avoid dust, oil fog and corrosive gases
Ambient Temperature 0°C － 65°C (32°F - 149°F)
Operating Environment Humidity 40%RH－90%RH
Operating Temperature 0°C － 50°C (32°F - 122°F)
Vibration 10-50Hz / 0.15mm
Storage Temperature -20°C － 65°C (-4°F - 149°F)
Weight Approx. 300g (10.6oz)

2.3 Mechanical Specifications

(unit: mm [1inch=25.4mm])

Figure 1: Mechanical specifications

* Side mounting recommended for better heat dissipation

2.4 Elimination of Heat

 DM556T reliable working temperature should be < 60℃ (140°F)

 It is recommended to use automatic idle-current mode to reduce motor heating. That means set the SW4 pin of
DIP switch at “OFF” position.
 It is recommended to mount the drive vertically to maximize heat sink area. Use forced cooling method to cool if
necessary.

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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual

3. Connection Pin Assignments and LED Indication

The DM556T has two connector blocks P1&P2 (see above picture). P1 is for control signals connections, and P2 is for
power and motor connections. The following tables are brief descriptions of the two connectors. More detailed
descriptions of the pins and related issues are presented in section 4, 5, 9.

3.1 Connector P1 Configurations

Pin Function Details

PUL+ Pulse signal: Pulse active at rising edge; 4-5V when PUL-HIGH, 0-0.5V when PUL-LOW. Minimal
pulse width of 2.5μs. Add a resistor for current-limiting at +12V or +24V input logic voltage (1K
PUL- for +12V, 2k for +24V). The same as DIR and ENA signals.
DIR+ DIR signal: This signal has low/high voltage levels to represent two directions of motor
rotation.. Minimal direction setup time of 5μs. Also swapping the connection of two wires of a
DIR- coil (e.g. A+ and A-) to the drive will reverse motor direction.
Enable signal: This signal is used for enabling/disabling the drive. High level +5V (NPN control
ENA+
signal) for enabling the drive and low level for disabling the drive. PNP and Differential control
signals are on the contrary, namely Low level for enabling. By default it is left
ENA-
UNCONNECTED (ENABLED).

!
Notice
Notes: (1) shielding control signal wires is suggested;
(2) To avoid interference, don’t tie PUL/DIR control signal and motor wires together

3.2 Connector P2 Configurations

Pin Function Details

GND Power supply ground connection.
+V Power supply positive connection. Suggest 24-48VDC power supply voltage
A+, A- Motor Phase A connections. Connect motor A+ wire to A+ Pin; motor A- wire to A-
B+, B- Motor Phase B connections. Connect motor B+ wire to B+ Pin; motor B- wire to B-

!
Warning
Warning: Don’t plug or unplug the P1 & P2 terminal block to avoid drive damage or injury when DM556T
is powered on.

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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual
3.3 LED Light Indication

There are two LED lights for DM556T. The GREEN one is the power indicator which will be always on generally. The
RED one is a protection indicator which will flash 1-2 times in a 3-second period, when protection enabled for a
DM556T. Different number of flashes indicates different protection type (read section 11 for detail).

4. Control Signal Connector (P1) Interface

The DM556T can accept differential and single-ended inputs (including open-collector and PNP output). The DM556T
has 3 optically isolated logic inputs which are located on connector P1 to accept line drive control signals. These
inputs are isolated to minimize or eliminate electrical noises coupled with the drive control signals. Recommend using
line drive control signals to increase noise immunity for the drive in interference environments. In the following
figures, connections to open-collector and PNP signals are illustrated.
Controller Drive Controller Drive
PUL+
VCC PUL PUL+
PUL-
VCC PUL-
PUL
DIR+
DIR DIR+
DIR-
DIR DIR-
ENA+
ENABLE ENA+
ENA-
ENA-
ENABLE

Figure 2: Connections to open-collector signal Figure 3: Connections to PNP signal

(common-anode) (common-cathode)

5. Motor Connection

The DM556T can drive 2-phase and 4-pahse bipolar hybrid stepper motors with 4, 6, or 8 wires.

5.1 Connections of 4-lead Motor

The 4 lead motors are the least flexible and easy to connect. And the Speed – torque of motor depends on winding
inductance. The output current from drive that is multiply the specified phase current by 1.4 to determine the peak
output current.

Figure 4: 4-lead Motor Connections

5.2 Connections of 6-lead Motor

Like 8 lead stepping motors, 6 lead motors have two configurations available for high speed or high torque operations.
The higher speed configuration, or half coil, is described, because it uses one half of the motor’s inductor windings.
The higher torque configuration, or full coil, uses the full coil windings.

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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual
5.2.1 Half Coil Configuration

As previously stated, the half coil configuration uses 50% of the motor phase windings. This gives lower inductance,
hence, lower torque output. Like the parallel connection of 8 lead motor, the torque output will be more stable at
higher speeds. This configuration is also referred to as half chopper. In setting the drive output current multiply the
specified per phase (or unipolar) current rating by 1.4 to determine the peak output current.

Figure 5: 6-lead motor half coil (higher speed) connections

5.2.2 Full Coil Configuration

The full coil configuration on a six lead motor should be used in applications where higher torque at lower speed is
desired. This configuration is also referred to as full copper. In full coil mode, the motors should be run at only 70% of
their rated current to prevent overheating.

Figure 6: 6-lead motor full coil (higher torque) connections

5.3 Connections of 8-lead Motor

8 lead motors offer a high degree of flexibility to the system designer in that they may be connected in series or
parallel, thus satisfying a wide range of applications.

5.3.1 Series Connection

A series motor configuration would typically be used in applications where a higher torque at lower speed is required.
Because this configuration has the most inductance, the performance will start to degrade at higher speed. In series
mode, the motors should also be run at only 70% of their rated current to prevent overheating.

Figure 7: 8-lead motor series connections

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5.3.2 Parallel Connection

An 8 lead motor in a parallel configuration offers a more stable, but lower torque at lower speeds. But because of the
lower inductance, there will be higher torque at higher speeds. Multiply the phase (or unipolar) current rating by 1.96,
or the bipolar current rating by 1.4, to determine the peak output current.

Figure 8: 8-lead motor parallel connections

6. Power Supply Selection

The DM556T can power medium and small size stepping motors (frame size from NEMA23 to 34. To get good driving
performances, it is important to select supply voltage and output current properly. Generally speaking, supply voltage
determines the high speed performance of the motor, while output current determines the output torque of the
driven motor (particularly at lower speed). Higher supply voltage will allow higher motor speed to be achieved, at the
price of more noise and heating. If the motion speed requirement is low, it’s better to use lower supply voltage to
decrease noise, heating and improve reliability.

6.1 Regulated or Unregulated Power Supply

Both regulated and unregulated power supplies can be used to supply the drive. However, unregulated power
supplies are preferred due to their ability to withstand current surge and fast response for current change. In the case
when only normal switching power supplies are available, it is important to use “OVERSIZE” high current output rating
power supplies (for example, using a 4A power supply for 3A stepper motor) to avoid problems such as current clamp.
On the other hand, if unregulated supply is used, one may use a power supply of lower current rating than that of
motor (typically 50%～70% of motor current). The reason is that the drive draws current from the power supply
capacitor of the unregulated supply only during the ON duration of the PWM cycle, but not during the OFF duration.
Therefore, the average current withdrawn from power supply is considerably less than motor current. For example,
two 3A motors can be well supplied by one power supply of 4A rating.

6.2 Power Supply Sharing

Multiple DM556T drives can share one power supply to reduce cost, if that power supply has enough power capacity.
To avoid cross interference, connect each stepper drive directly to the shared power supply separately. To avoid cross
interference, DO NOT daisy-chain connect the power supply input pins of the Drivers. Instead connect them to power
supply separately.

6.3 Selecting Supply Voltage

The DM556T is designed to operate within +20 - +50VDC voltage input. When selecting a power supply, besides
voltage from the power supply power line voltage fluctuation and back EMF voltage generated during motor
deceleration needs also to be taken into account. Ideally it is suggested to use a power supply with the output range
of +24 - +48 VDC, leaving room for power line voltage fluctuation and back-EMF.
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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual
Higher supply voltage can increase motor torque at higher speeds, thus helpful for avoiding losing steps. However,
higher voltage may cause bigger motor vibration at lower speed, and it may also cause over-voltage protection or
even drive damage. Therefore, it is suggested to choose only sufficiently high supply voltage for intended applications.

7. DIP Switch Configurations

This drive uses an 8-bit DIP switch to set microstep resolution, and motor operating current, as shown below:

7.1 Microstep Resolution Configurations

Microstep resolution is set by SW5, 6, 7, 8 of the DIP switches as shown in the following table:

Microstep Steps/rev.(for 1.8°motor) SW5 SW6 SW7 SW8

2 400 OFF ON ON ON
4 800 ON OFF ON ON
8 1600 OFF OFF ON ON
16 3200 ON ON OFF ON
32 6400 OFF ON OFF ON
64 12800 ON OFF OFF ON
128 25600 OFF OFF OFF ON
5 1000 ON ON ON OFF
10 2000 OFF ON ON OFF
20 4000 ON OFF ON OFF
25 5000 OFF OFF ON OFF
40 8000 ON ON OFF OFF
50 10000 OFF ON OFF OFF
100 20000 ON OFF OFF OFF
125 25000 OFF OFF OFF OFF

7.2 Current Configurations

For a given motor, higher drive current will make the motor to output more torque, but at the same time causes more
heating in the motor and drive. Therefore, output current is generally set to be such that the motor will not overheat
for long time operation. Since parallel and serial connections of motor coils will significantly change resulting
inductance and resistance, it is therefore important to set drive output current depending on motor phase current,
motor leads and connection methods. Phase current rating supplied by motor manufacturer is important in selecting
drive current, however the selection also depends on leads and connections.

The first three bits (SW1, 2, 3) of the DIP switch are used to set the dynamic current. Select a setting closest to your
motor’s required current.

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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual
7.2.1 Dynamic Current Configurations

Peak Current RMS Current SW1 SW2 SW3

1.8A 1.3A ON ON ON
2.1A 1.5A OFF ON ON
2.7A 1.9A ON OFF ON
3.2A 2.3A OFF OFF ON
3.8A 2.7A ON ON OFF
4.3A 3.1A OFF ON OFF
4.9A 3.5A ON OFF OFF
5.6A 4.0A OFF OFF OFF

Notes: Due to motor inductance, the actual current in the coil may be smaller than the dynamic current setting,
particularly under high speed condition.

7.2.2 Standstill Current Configuration

SW4 is used to set motor idle current percentage. At OFF position it means the standstill current is set to be 50% of
the selected output current. At ON position it means standstill current is set to be the same as the selected dynamic
current.

The current automatically reduced to 50% of the selected dynamic current 0.4 second after the last pulse.

7.3 Automatic Motor Matching & Self Configuration

When powered on a DM556T will automatically configure itself with the best settings to match the driven stepper
motor for optimal performance. No action is needed.

8. Wiring Notes

 In order to improve anti-interference performance of the drive, it is recommended to use twisted pair shield
cable.

 To prevent noise incurred in PUL/DIR signal, pulse/direction signal wires and motor wires should not be tied up
together. It is better to separate them by at least 10 cm, otherwise the disturbing signals generated by motor will
easily disturb pulse direction signals, causing motor position error, system instability and other failures.

 If only one power supply serves multiple DM556T drives, separately connecting the drives to the power supply is
recommended instead of daisy-chaining.

 It is prohibited to pull and plug connector P2 while the drive is powered ON, because there is high current
flowing through motor coils (even when motor is at standstill). Pulling or plugging connector P2 with power on
will cause extremely high back-EMF voltage surge, which may damage the drive.

9. Typical Connection

A complete stepping system should include stepping motor, stepping drive, power supply and controller (pulse
generator). A typical connection is shown as figure 9.

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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual

Figure 9: Typical connection

10. Sequence Chart of Control Signals

In order to avoid some fault operations and deviations, PUL, DIR and ENA should abide by some rules, shown as
following diagram:

Figure 10: Sequence chart of control signals

Remark:
a) t1: ENA must be ahead of DIR by at least 5s. Usually, ENA+ and ENA- are NC (not connected). See
“Connector P1 Configurations” for more information.
b) t2: DIR must be ahead of PUL effective edge by 5s to ensure correct direction;
c) t3: Pulse width not less than 2.5s;
d) t4: Low level width not less than 2.5s.

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11. Protection Functions

To improve reliability, the drive incorporates some built-in protections features.

Time(s) of
Priority Sequence wave of red LED Description
Blink
Over-current protection activated when peak
1st 1
current exceeds the limit.

Over-voltage protection activated when drive

2nd 2
working voltage is greater than 60VDC

3rd 3 Reserved.

When above protections are active, the motor shaft will be free or the red LED blinks. Reset the drive by repowering it
to make it function properly after removing above problems.

12. Troubleshooting

In the event that your drive doesn’t operate properly, the first step is to identify whether the problem is electrical or
mechanical in nature. The next step is to isolate the system component that is causing the problem. As part of this
process you may have to disconnect the individual components that make up your system and verify that they
operate independently. It is important to document each step in the troubleshooting process. You may need this
documentation to refer back to at a later date, and these details will greatly assist our Technical Support staff in
determining the problem should you need assistance.

Many of the problems that affect motion control systems can be traced to electrical noise, controller software errors,
or mistake in wiring.

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 DM556T Digital Stepper Drive User Manual
Problem Symptoms and Possible Causes
Symptoms Possible Problems
No power
Microstep resolution setting is wrong
Motor is not rotating DIP switch current setting is wrong
Fault condition exists
The drive is disabled
Motor rotates in the wrong direction Motor phases may be connected in reverse
DIP switch current setting is wrong
The drive in fault
Something wrong with motor coil
Control signal is too weak
Control signal is interfered
Erratic motor motion Wrong motor connection
Something wrong with motor coil
Current setting is too small, losing steps
Current setting is too small
Motor is undersized for the application
Motor stalls during acceleration
Acceleration is set too high
Power supply voltage too low
Inadequate heat sinking / cooling
Excessive motor and drive heating Automatic current reduction function not being utilized
Current is set too high

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