17HS4401S Stepper

A NEMA 17 bipolar stepper motor with 1.8 degree steps (200 steps per revolution) and roughly 43 N.cm of holding torque, built for precise open-loop positioning.

Try it in the simulator View datasheet

17HS4401S Stepper: NEMA 17 bipolar stepper

What is the 17HS4401S Stepper?

The 17HS4401S is a NEMA 17 (42.3 mm frame) two-phase bipolar stepper motor. Its 1.8 degree step angle divides each rotation into 200 full steps, and with microstepping a driver can subdivide those steps much further for smooth, repeatable motion without any position feedback. It is one of the most common steppers in desktop 3D printers, small CNC machines, and hobby robotics.

Each of the two phases (coils) is rated at 1.7 A with a rated coil voltage of 2.6 V and a phase resistance of about 1.5 ohms, giving a holding torque of roughly 43 N.cm (0.43 N.m). The motor has four leads: Black and Green form coil A, while Red and Blue form coil B. It weighs about 280 g and uses a standard 5 mm output shaft.

Because the coils draw well over an amp and are highly inductive (about 2.8 mH per phase), the 17HS4401S is never wired straight to Arduino pins. It is driven through a dedicated stepper driver such as an A4988, DRV8825, TB6600, or L298N, which handles current regulation, coil sequencing, and microstepping while the microcontroller only issues step and direction signals.

17HS4401S Stepper pinout

Pin	Function	Type
`BLACK` Black / A+	Digital Coil A positive lead	Free
`GREEN` Green / A-	Digital Coil A negative lead	Free
`RED` Red / B+	Digital Coil B positive lead	Free
`BLUE` Blue / B-	Digital Coil B negative lead	Free

Specifications

Operating voltage: 2.6 V
Interface: stepper
Dimensions: 42.3 × 58.8 × 42.3 mm

Verified from the Tinkered component library · HandsOnTec / Usongshine.

Circuit requirements

Requires a dedicated stepper driver (A4988, DRV8825, TB6600, or L298N). The coil leads must not connect directly to Arduino I/O pins, which cannot source the 1.7 A per phase this motor draws.
Coil pairing: Black (A+) and Green (A-) are one coil; Red (B+) and Blue (B-) are the other. The two leads within a coil show continuity on a multimeter, while leads from different coils do not. Verify pairing before wiring.
Use a separate motor supply. Chopper drivers like the A4988/DRV8825 run from an 8-35 V motor rail (commonly 12 V or 24 V) even though the coil is only rated 2.6 V, because the driver current-limits the coil rather than applying full voltage.
Tie grounds together: the driver's motor-supply ground and the Arduino/logic ground must share a common ground, or the step and direction signals have no reference.
Set the driver current limit to about 1.7 A per phase (or lower). On an A4988/DRV8825 this means adjusting the Vref potentiometer; leaving it too high causes overheating and thermal shutdown, too low causes missed steps.
Place a large electrolytic capacitor (roughly 47-100 uF) across the motor supply near the driver to absorb inductive spikes, and never plug or unplug the motor while power is on. The back-EMF spike from a hot-plugged coil can destroy the driver IC.

Board compatibility

The 17HS4401S Stepper connects to any of the microcontrollers supported in Tinkered. Mind the 2.6 V logic level on 3.3 V boards.

Common 17HS4401S Stepper mistakes

Wiring the coils straight to Arduino pins

The 17HS4401S needs 1.7 A per phase through inductive coils. Connecting the four leads directly to microcontroller pins will not turn the motor and can damage the board. Always drive it through a stepper driver.

Skipping the driver current-limit adjustment

A4988 and DRV8825 boards ship with the Vref pot at an arbitrary setting. If you do not tune it to around the 1.7 A rating (or below), the motor and driver overheat and enter thermal shutdown, producing stuttering and missed steps.

Pairing the coil wires incorrectly

If you split a coil across the driver's two outputs (for example mixing Black with Red instead of Black with Green), the motor buzzes and vibrates in place instead of rotating. Confirm the Black/Green and Red/Blue pairs with a continuity test.

Hot-plugging the motor

Connecting or disconnecting the stepper while the driver is powered creates a back-EMF voltage spike that commonly kills A4988/DRV8825 chips. Always power down before touching the motor leads.

Expecting full torque at high speed

Holding torque near 43 N.cm applies at rest and low speed. As step rate climbs, the 2.8 mH coil inductance limits current and torque falls off, so ramp speed with acceleration and avoid demanding heavy loads at high RPM.

17HS4401S Stepper datasheet

Official 17HS4401S Stepper datasheetHandsOnTec / Usongshine

Popular 17HS4401S Stepper projects

3D printer and CNC axis

The default motor for X/Y/Z axes and extruders on desktop 3D printers and small CNC or laser machines, paired with A4988 or DRV8825 drivers on a control board.

Camera slider or pan-tilt rig

Its precise, repeatable steps make it ideal for motorized camera sliders, timelapse dollies, and pan-tilt heads where smooth, controllable motion matters.

Robotic arm and gimbal joints

Used for open-loop joints and rotary stages in hobby robotic arms, plotters, and telescope mounts where a known step count maps directly to position.

Automated dispenser or blinds

Drives peristaltic pumps, pill or treat dispensers, and motorized window blinds, holding position firmly between moves thanks to its high holding torque.

Build with the 17HS4401S Stepper.

Drop the 17HS4401S Stepper into a circuit, write firmware, and simulate it in your browser, then deploy to real hardware. All in one editable Tinkered project.

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