Adafruit A4988 Stepper Motor Driver Breakout Board

Stepper motors are widely used in CNC machines, 3D printers, and other applications requiring precise and powerful motion. The Adafruit A4988 Stepper Motor Driver Breakout Board simplifies control of stepper motors by handling high current bursts and supporting smooth microstepping.

This breakout board uses the Allegro A4988 DMOS microstepping driver with an integrated translator and overcurrent protection. It supports motor voltages from 8V to 35V and logic voltages from 3V to 5V, making it compatible with Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi, and other single board computers.

Control is easy with just two pins: Direction and Step. Microstepping modes can be adjusted on the fly via MS1, MS2, and MS3 pins, defaulting to 1/16 microstepping. LEDs indicate motor direction and stepping activity for visual feedback.

The breakout board features terminal screw blocks for motor power and 4-wire bipolar stepper motor connections (26-20 AWG, 2.54mm spacing), a 22uF 50V electrolytic capacitor, and 2 oz copper for better current carrying and heat dissipation. It includes a potentiometer for current limiting up to 2A, although heatsinking may be required at higher currents (heatsinks sold separately).

The board comes assembled and tested along with a small strip of header that requires soldering. Motors, microcontrollers, and power supplies are not included.

Features:

• Allegro A4988 DMOS microstepping driver with translator and overcurrent protection
• Motor voltage: 8V to 35V DC
• Logic voltage: 3V to 5V compatible with common microcontrollers
• Terminal screw block connections for motor power and 4-wire bipolar stepper motor (26-20 AWG)
• Simple control using just two pins: Direction and Step
• Default 1/16 microstep mode, configurable microstepping via MS1/MS2/MS3 pins
• LED indicators for direction and step signals
• Sleep, Reset, and Enable control lines for power management
• Onboard potentiometer to set current limit up to 2A
• 22uF 50V capacitor for motor power smoothing
• 2 oz copper PCB for improved current carrying and heat dissipation
• Four mounting holes for easy installation