# How do you drive a stepper motor without a stepper motor driver?

**URL:** <https://community.sparkfun.com/t/how-do-you-drive-a-stepper-motor-without-a-stepper-motor-driver/39837>\
**Category:** Projects\
**Created:** [June 15, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/how-do-you-drive-a-stepper-motor-without-a-stepper-motor-driver/39837 "2020-06-15T17:18:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Adruinoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/34f0e0/32.png) [@Adruinoguy](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/Adruinoguy)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/how-do-you-drive-a-stepper-motor-without-a-stepper-motor-driver/39837/1 "2020-06-15T17:18:41Z")

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Does anyone know how to drive a stepper motor without a stepper motor driver?(Strait from the Arduino maybe?)

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**Author:** ![jremington](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/user_avatar/community.sparkfun.com/jremington/32/6595_2.png) [@jremington](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/jremington)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/how-do-you-drive-a-stepper-motor-without-a-stepper-motor-driver/39837/2 "2020-06-15T18:39:17Z")

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You can use ordinary switches or relays, but not an Arduino. To take step, change which coil is energized.

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**Author:** ![TS-Chris](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/user_avatar/community.sparkfun.com/ts-chris/32/6057_2.png) [@TS-Chris](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/TS-Chris)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/how-do-you-drive-a-stepper-motor-without-a-stepper-motor-driver/39837/3 "2020-06-15T18:49:30Z")

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Some power transistors or a H-Bridge would work, but it’s probably easiest to use a stepper motor driver IC to do the heavy lifting for you. That would greatly simplify your circuit and code.

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**Author:** ![Adruinoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/34f0e0/32.png) [@Adruinoguy](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/Adruinoguy)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 10:09pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/how-do-you-drive-a-stepper-motor-without-a-stepper-motor-driver/39837/4 "2020-06-15T22:09:30Z")

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Ok. Thanks!