So I am using an Arduino Uno into a Big Easy Driver and then into a Nema 17 stepper. I tried an 18v battery and 24v battery, and neither of them worked, not only did it not work but the 24v battery overheated my controller and now I will probably have to buy another controller. What power supply should I use, or should i buy a seperate type of controller, possibly and Arduino Stepper Servo shield? What do I do?
The first thing you need to do is to determine the current rating of the stepper motor. If it is a low voltage high current stepper, the BED may not be capable of driving it. At the very least, you probably need to set the stepper current according to the BED manual. Consult data sheets for both the stepper and the driver.
Well the recommended voltage level of the Arduino Uno is between 7 and 12 volt according to Sparkfun’s product description. And the absolute maximum limit is 20 volt according to the Arduino site: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno. Beyond that the manufacturer can not guarantee it’s safety. Caveat emptor.
You may want to know how linear regulators work. Any surplus on the input voltage (any amount that is more than the minimun 7 volt) will have to be burned away inside the linear regulator. Depending on the current that it must supply to the Uno’s circuitry and attached loads this means a lot of power (watts) might have to be converted into heat by this regulator. And since there is no heatsink to speak of, there would have been no way to transfer this to the air. And yeah, you most likely crisped it with 24 volts.
But show us a diagram first of the way how you hooked every thing up. Not connecting the ground pin between the devices might cause it to not work. (but it should not break it)