Stepper Motors with Drivers
Stepper Motors with Integrated Driver: Compact and Powerful
Our Leadshine iST series combines the stepper motor and driver in a compact housing. This eliminates external wiring between the motor and driver, reduces susceptibility to interference, and significantly simplifies installation on CNC gantry milling machines.
The integrated encoders enable closed-loop operation: the motor detects step errors in real time and corrects them automatically. This means higher positioning accuracy, no loss of steps under load, and smoother running than with conventional open-loop stepper motors.
With torques from 0.9 Nm to 2.0 Nm, these motors are suitable for light to medium CNC applications. The step/direction interface is compatible with all common CNC controllers, including the BZT controllers and Mach3/4-based systems.
Frequently Asked Questions about Stepper Motors with Integrated Drivers
What is the advantage of a stepper motor with an integrated driver?
Three main advantages: 1) Less cabling – motor and driver are in one housing, no error-prone cable connections. 2) Space-saving – no separate drive cabinet required. 3) Better EMC – shorter cable runs reduce electromagnetic interference. This is a major advantage, especially for retrofits and compact machine setups.
What does Closed-Loop mean for stepper motors?
Closed-loop means that the motor uses an integrated encoder to monitor its actual position and compare it with the target position. If the actual position deviates (e.g. due to overload), the motor corrects itself automatically. With open-loop motors, a step loss goes unnoticed, which can lead to dimensional errors on the workpiece.
Are the Leadshine iST motors compatible with my controller?
Yes, the iST series uses the standard step/direction interface (5V level). It is compatible with all BZT controllers, Mach3/Mach4 controllers, LinuxCNC, UCCNC and other common CNC controllers. The connections are designed for Pul/Dir/Enable – the standard pin assignment in the CNC world.
What torque do I need for my application?
For light milling work in wood and plastic, 0.9 Nm (iST-2309) is sufficient. For aluminium machining and larger machines, we recommend 2.0 Nm (iST-2320). As a rule of thumb: select the torque so that the motor operates at a maximum of 60–70% of its rated load during normal operation.