I want to run two stepper motors using Arduino Mega 2560 and RAMPS 1.4. But, somehow I burned the Arduino while I was connecting the motor and plugging the board to the computer.
Can I plug external power supply and USB connection to the computer at the same time?
Additional info from comments
I am using RAMPS 1.4 with Polulo red stepper drivers and Arduino Mega R3. I am only using two Nema 17 stepper motors and not using any hotbed or anything else other than the two stepper motors for the x and y axes. I am feeding 11.9 V supply to the RAMPS board. When powered on, can I plug the USB to my computer?
Suppose I have connected two motors on the X and Y outputs of the RAMPS, and the external power supply is on, then can I connect my Arduino to my PC using USB? Will it burn my board or not?
My only trouble is that when the board is on load, connecting the USB to computer motors would take power by Arduino pins instead of the RAMPS external supply.
D1 should only be installed if the 5A rail is powered by 12V. It can be omitted and the Arduino will be powered from USB. You will want D1 installed if you add components to print without a PC. To reiterate, D1 MUST be omitted if you are powering the 5A rail by more than 12V, or the power is not absolutely clean, otherwise you may damage your ramps.
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