The G201X is one of the most popular stepper drives from Geckodrive and is a drop-in replacement for the G201. It is built around our already proven CPLD design similar to the G203V and the G320X. The G201X adds many new features and is an excellent successor to the original G201.
Boasting proprietary anti-resonance and current control the G201X runs stepper motors smoother, quieter, and with more torque than other drives in its class. User adjustable DIP settings means application specific adjustments are easy and can be done quickly. A maximum voltage of 80VDC and a maximum current of 7A leaves no question to the G201X being a beast when it comes to power output, while remaining in a small package.
The G201X is internally opto-isolated on the step and direction inputs (HCPL-2531 hi-speed dual opto) and must NOT be driven by an external opto-isolators.
The step and direction inputs expect 5V logic that can supply 16mA of drive current, Identify the step and direction driver on your breakout board and see if it’s 74AC or 74ACT series logic which can provide the necessary drive current, (74LS, 74HC or 74HCT is inadequate for this purpose).
If your step / direction driver is 74AC/74ACT then drive the G201X step / direction terminals directly from the driver IC output pins (bypass any optos that may be connected to those pins). The reason the SmoothStepper worked is because it uses 74AC/74ACT ICs and has no optos on its outputs.