![\"ESP32](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ESP32-Stepper-Motor-Tutorial.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=100&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWe have a similar tutorial for the ESP8266 board: ESP8266 NodeMCU with Stepper Motor (28BYJ-48 and ULN2003 Motor Driver)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n We have tutorials for other motors with the ESP32:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To follow this tutorial, you need the following parts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use the preceding links or go directly to MakerAdvisor.com\/tools<\/a> to find all the parts for your projects at the best price!<\/p> A stepper motor is a brushless DC electric motor that divides a full rotation into a number of steps. It moves one step at a time, and each step is the same size. This allows us to rotate the motor by a precise angle to a precise position. The stepper motor can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following picture shows two 28BYJ-48 stepper motors.<\/p>\n\n\n Stepper motors are made of internal coils that make the motor shaft move in steps in one direction or the other when current is applied to the coils in a specific way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two types of stepper motors: unipolar and bipolar stepper motors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we won’t detail how the stepper motors are made and how they work internally. To learn in more detail how they work and the differences between each type of stepper motor, we recommend reading this article by the DroneBotWorkshop blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several stepper motors with different specifications. This tutorial will cover the widely used 28BYJ-48 unipolar stepper motor<\/strong> with the ULN2003 motor driver<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n Features of the stepper motor (for more details, consult the datasheet):<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 28BYJ-48 stepper motor has a total of four coils. One end of the coils is connected to 5V, which corresponds to the motor’s red wire. The other end of the coils corresponds to the wires with blue, pink, yellow, and orange color. Energizing the coils in a logical sequence makes the motor move one step in one direction or the other.<\/p>\n\n\n The 28BYJ-48 Stepper Motor has a stride angle of 5.625\u00b0\/64 in half-step mode. This means that the motor has a step angle of 5.625\u00ba\u2014so it needs 360\u00ba\/5.625\u00ba = 64 steps in half-step mode. In full-step mode: 64\/2 = 32 steps to complete one rotation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the output shaft is driven via a 64:1 gear ratio. This means that the shaft (visible outside the motor) will complete a rotation if the motor inside rotates 64 times. This means that the motor will have to move 32×64 = 2048 steps for the shaft to complete one full rotation. This means that you’ll have a precision of 360\u00ba\/2048 steps = 0.18\u00ba\/step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, in summary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re using a different stepper motor, please consult the datasheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To interface the stepper motor with the ESP32, we’ll use the ULN2003 motor driver, as shown in the figure below. The 28BYJ-48 stepper motor is many times sold together with the ULN2003 motor driver.<\/p>\n\n\n The module comes with a connector that makes it easy and simple to connect the motor to the module. It has four input pins to control the coils that make the stepper motor move. The four LEDs provide a visual interface of the coils’ state. <\/p>\n\n\n There are pins to connect VCC<\/span> and GND,<\/span> and a jumper cap that acts as an ON\/OFF switch to power the stepper motor\u2014if you remove the jumper, there is no power reaching the motor. You can use those pins to wire a physical switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following table shows the module pinout:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this section, we’ll connect the stepper motor to the ESP32 via the ULN2003 motor driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Parts Required<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/header-200.png?w=1200&quality=100&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nIntroducing Stepper Motors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"28BYJ-48](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/28BYJ-48-Stepper-Motors.jpg?resize=750%2C422&quality=100&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n28BYJ-48 Stepper Motor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"28BYJ-48](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/28BYJ-48-connected-to-ULN2003-Motor-Driver-01-module.jpg?resize=750%2C422&quality=100&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n28BYJ-48 Stepper Motor Features<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"28BYJ-48](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/28BYJ-48-stepper-motor-coils.png?resize=704%2C434&quality=100&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
ULN2003 Motor Driver<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"ULN2003](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ULN2003-Motor-Driver-01-module-board.jpg?resize=750%2C422&quality=100&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"ULN2003](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ULN2003-Motor-Driver-01.png?resize=750%2C429&quality=100&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nULN2003 Motor Driver Pinout<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
IN1<\/span><\/td> Control the motor: connect to a microcontroller digital pin<\/td><\/tr> IN2<\/span><\/td> Control the motor: connect to a microcontroller digital pin<\/td><\/tr> IN3<\/span><\/td> Control the motor: connect to a microcontroller digital pin<\/td><\/tr> IN4<\/span><\/td> Control the motor: connect to a microcontroller digital pin<\/td><\/tr> VCC<\/span><\/td> Powers the motor<\/td><\/tr> GND<\/span><\/td> Common GND<\/td><\/tr> Motor connector<\/td> Connect the motor connector<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Wire Stepper Motor to the ESP32<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"ESP32](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ESP32-Stepper-Motor-Schematic-Diagram-Wiring_bb.png?resize=1200%2C631&quality=100&strip=all&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n