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DRV8825 Pinout

The complete pin reference for the DRV8825 stepper motor driver: 16 pins, up to 1/32 microstepping, and the exact wiring you need to drive a motor safely.

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Overview

The DRV8825 is a stepper motor driver IC from Texas Instruments, widely used on 3D printers, CNC machines and robotics through breakout boards like the one made by Pololu. It’s not a programmable chip like the boards elsewhere in these guides, it’s a driver: a microcontroller sends it STEP and DIR pulses, and it handles the high-current motor coil switching.

STEP and DIR only A microcontroller only needs two pins to run the motor: one pulse per step, one pin for direction.
MS1/MS2/MS3 set resolution Three logic pins select anywhere from full-step to 1/32 microstepping, see the table further down.
Needs a heatsink for full current The 2.5A per-coil rating assumes adequate cooling, it thermally throttles well below that bare.

Wiring

Set the current limit before connecting a motor, an unset or too-high current limit is the most common way to damage both the driver and the motor.

1. What you need A stepper motor, a power supply matching the motor’s voltage (8.2V–45V), a multimeter, and a microcontroller to send STEP/DIR pulses.
2. Set the current limit With motor power connected but the motor itself disconnected, measure VREF on the potentiometer and adjust it to about half your motor’s rated current (current limit ≈ VREF × 2).
3. Connect the motor and pulse STEP Connect the two coil pairs (1A/1B and 2A/2B), pull EN low to enable outputs, then toggle STEP to move the motor one microstep at a time.

Pinout diagram

The 16-pin layout of the standard DRV8825 breakout module.

DRV8825 pinout diagram

Dimensions

The standard Pololu-style DRV8825 breakout: 15.5 by 20.4 mm, with the current-limiting potentiometer near one edge.

DRV8825 breakout board dimensioned top view: 15.5 by 20.4 mm, 16-pin header at 2.54 mm pitch, current-limiting potentiometer

Pin reference

All 16 pins, split across both sides of the breakout.

Pin Name Function
1 GND Logic ground
2 VMA Motor power supply A (8.2V to 45V)
3 2B Motor coil B (output 2B)
4 2A Motor coil B (output 2A)
5 1A Motor coil A (output 1A)
6 1B Motor coil A (output 1B)
7 GND Motor ground
8 VMOT Motor power supply (same as VMA)
9 DIR Direction input, sets motor rotation direction
10 STEP Step input, advances the motor by one step
11 SLEEP Sleep mode, active high, LOW disables the driver
12 RESET Reset input, active low, resets internal logic
13 MS1 Microstepping selection bit 1
14 MS2 Microstepping selection bit 2
15 MS3 Microstepping selection bit 3
16 EN Enable input, active low, enables motor outputs

Microstepping configuration

MS1, MS2 and MS3 are usually tied HIGH or LOW with jumpers, not driven dynamically, though a microcontroller can control them live if needed.

MS1 MS2 MS3 Microstepping mode
Low Low Low Full step
High Low Low Half step
Low High Low 1/4 step
High High Low 1/8 step
Low Low High 1/16 step
High Low High 1/32 step

Safety notes

Before you wire anything up

  • Never connect or disconnect the motor while the driver is powered, the resulting voltage spike can destroy it.
  • Set the current limit (VREF) before running the motor, an unset limit defaults to the maximum and can overheat both the driver and the motor.
  • Add a heatsink if you plan to run near the 2.5A per-coil maximum, the bare chip throttles current well below that.
  • STEP and DIR are logic inputs, both 3.3V and 5V microcontrollers work, but check your specific breakout board’s datasheet for its exact logic threshold.
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