 Â
 There are lots of simply boxes to test servo motors but there is a bit of a void when it comes to stepper motor testers. Kenneth Weiss has built the Easy Stepper Motor Controller to fill the need. By plugging in some power and the stepper, you will be able to start testing in seconds instead of writing some sample code, building up a driver circuit etc. When you just want to see if a stepper is up to the job or when you are junking some old printers it would be nice to be able to do a quick 5 second test to see if the motor is good or a dud. You can buy the unit here and you can see the build details of the unit here (including some prototype pictures)
 “Just hook up whatever power supply (between 8 and 24V, AC or DC) you have lying around to the screw terminals or the barrel jack connector and whatever stepper driven device you have to the motor output pin header or screw terminal and you are ready to go.
The controls are really simple.
When the potentiometer is centered the stepper motor will stand still.
When the potentiometer is turned clockwise the stepper motor will start turning in one direction.
The further you turn the potentiometer the faster the motor turns and when you turn the potentiometer back the stepper will slow down again.
When you turn the potentiometer counterclockwise past the center the stepper motor will start turning in the other direction.
The two buttons are for fast forward and fast backwards.
With the MS1-2-3 jumpers you can set the microstep resolution on the Polulu/Stepstick.
The Use-Enable solder jumper should not be used with the standard firmware.”
