How to interface stepper motor with Raspberry Pi Pico?

I've always used Arduino for stepper motor control. Still, recently I started experimenting with the Raspberry Pi Pico, and I found that while it works differently, it's very much capable of controlling stepper motors smoothly. The key difference is that the Pico operates at 3.3V logic, unlike most Arduinos, which use 5V; therefore, it's essential to ensure your stepper driver is compatible. Fortunately, common drivers like the A4988, DRV8825, and even the ULN2003 (for 28BYJ-48 motors) work just fine with the Pico without level shifting in most cases.

For wiring, I connected the STEP and DIR pins of the A4988 to GPIO14 and GPIO15 on the Pico, powered the motor using an external 12V supply, and tied the A4988’s ENABLE pin to ground for always-on operation.

Since the Pico supports MicroPython, I used it to write a simple script that toggles the STEP pin using delays to control speed. This worked well for basic control, though for smoother stepping or acceleration profiles, PWM or PIO (Programmable I/O) can be used for more advanced applications.

Comparing it to Arduino, the Pico offers more performance with its dual-core CPU and faster clock speed, but lacks the extensive stepper libraries available in the Arduino ecosystem. However, the Pico’s flexibility with MicroPython and powerful features like PIO make it a great choice once you're familiar with its workflow.

For beginners, starting with simple GPIO control in MicroPython is an easy and effective way to get a stepper motor running on the Pico.

I've used both Arduino and Raspberry Pi Pico for stepper motor control, and while the Pico works a bit differently, it's definitely up to the task.

For drivers, the A4988 or DRV8825 work great with the Pico—just connect the STEP and DIR pins to any GPIOs. If you’re using a 28BYJ-48 stepper, the ULN2003 driver is also a good match.

The main difference is in the coding environment. With Arduino, you get easy-to-use libraries like AccelStepper. On the Pico, you can use MicroPython or C/C++. MicroPython is easier to get started with, and you can control the motor by toggling GPIO pins with delays. But for smooth, high-speed stepping, the PIO (Programmable I/O) on the Pico really shines—it lets you generate very precise timing signals without using up the CPU.

The Pico has more raw power and flexibility, especially with its dual cores and PIO blocks, but you’ll probably spend more time setting things up compared to Arduino. Once you get past the learning curve, it’s a really powerful platform for stepper control.

Let me know what motor and driver you're using—happy to help with wiring or code examples!