Project Files of Micro Linear Stepper Motor Library for Proteus V1.0 (Arduino)

MICRO LINEAR STEPPER MOTOR LIBRARY FOR PROTEUS - V1.0 (a 15 mm stepper with a lead screw and a moving slider)
Designed by The Engineering Projects
www.TheEngineeringProjects.com

IMPORTANT LINKS
Article (read it first - pictures, step by step, every feature explained):
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/11/micro-linear-stepper-motor-library-for-proteus-v1-0.html
Report a bug or suggest a feature (our forum):
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/forum/category/motor-driver-proteus-library
The demo runs on our Arduino UNO V4.0 (included) - working LEDs, RESET and a
built-in serial monitor - its own article:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/10/arduino-uno-library-for-proteus-v40.html
The demo's driver is our A4988 Stepper Motor Driver - a SEPARATE library, not in
this package: download and install it first - its own article:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/10/a4988-drv8825-stepper-driver-library-for-proteus-v1-0.html
Support us (the libraries are free):
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/donate

FILE STRUCTURE
Micro-Linear-Stepper-Motor-TEP-v1.0/
|-- Proteus Library Files/
|   |-- ArduinoV4TEP.LIB                              201.9 KB   TEP Arduino boards V4.0 (UNO) -> LIBRARY
|   |-- TEPMICROLIN.LIB                                24.1 KB   the library -> LIBRARY folder
|-- Proteus Model Files/
|   |-- TEPARDUINO.DLL                                883.5 KB   the Arduino board model -> MODELS folder
|   |-- TEPMICROLIN.DLL                               321.0 KB   the model -> MODELS folder
|-- Proteus Simulation/
|   |-- Linear_Stepper_Demo.hex                        28.0 KB   the demo firmware
|   |-- Micro-Linear-Stepper-A4988-ArduinoUnoV4.pdsprj   25.5 KB   the demo project
|   |-- TEPARDUINO.DLL                                883.5 KB   copy of the board model
|   |-- TEPMICROLIN.DLL                               321.0 KB   copy of the model
|-- Arduino Code/
|   |-- Linear_Stepper_Demo/Linear_Stepper_Demo.ino     6.5 KB   the demo sketch (source of the .hex)
|-- README.txt                                        ~19.6 KB   this file
Total: 2.65 MB (unzipped). The C++ source code of the models is not included.

WHAT IS IT?
A simulation model of the 15 mm micro linear stepper - the little 2-phase,
4-wire stepper whose shaft is a lead screw that moves a slider, as in camera
sliders, DVD / CD sleds, lens drives, syringe pumps, small XY stages and robot
grippers. Our own model, a part on its own:
  * A permanent-magnet can stepper: 18 degrees a step (20 full steps a turn),
    two coils A (A+ black, A- green) and B (B+ red, B- blue), about 15 ohm and
    6 mH a coil - 0.33 A at 5 V. Each coil is its resistance, its inductance
    and its back-EMF in the circuit, so ANY driver drives it - our A4988 or
    DRV8825 (current choppers, set to about 0.33 A), an L298N, an L9110S or a
    DRV8833 (voltage H-bridges at 5 V), transistors.
  * The shaft is an M3 x 0.5 lead screw: 0.5 mm a turn - 0.025 mm a full step,
    40 full steps a millimetre (160 at 1/4 microsteps). The slider moves
    between two stops: 0 mm (against the motor-end plate) and the stroke
    (property STROKE, 80 mm by default).
  * The physics of the real thing: the torque of the two coils (about 3 mN.m
    with both coils at 0.33 A), the detent torque, the rotor and screw
    inertia, friction, and an axial load on the slider (property LOAD, the
    pop-up's load buttons, or a click on the slider: a 40 N jam). Through the
    screw the motor pushes about 9 N at 0.33 A. It needs a ramp to reach
    speed and loses steps when it is driven too fast or loaded too much.
  * The end stops: drive the slider past a stop and it stops dead - the field
    turns on and the steps are lost (the grinding of a stepper homed against
    its stop). This is how cheap linear steppers are homed without a switch.
  * The screw is self-locking: a load cannot push the slider back, so the
    slider stays where it is even with the driver off (no holding current).
  * It reads its driver from the coil currents: full step, half step, wave
    drive and 1/4 - 1/32 microsteps are recognised; the step rate, the
    direction (out / in), the position the coils ask for, lost steps (every
    slip counts), the current against the 0.33 A rating, a coil that gets no
    current.
The symbol shows the motor from above: the silver 15 mm can with its end cap
and the amber flex board with the four wire pads, the zinc-plated U frame with
its two end plates, the lead screw and the brass slider with its two mounting
holes and four wires (B- blue, B+ red, A+ black, A- green). At Run the slider
moves to its simulated position, the screw's thread turns, and a red stop
shows a jam. The plate, the coil LEDs A and B, the mm ruler under the frame,
the rating line and the strip under the plate (POSITION, SPEED, STEPS, OPEN
PANEL) are TEP additions; the real motor has none of them.

ONE DEVICE (search "linear" or "stepper" in Pick Devices):
  MICROLINSTEPTEP  "Micro Linear Stepper Motor V1.0"   (category Electromechanical >
                   Stepper Motors), model TEPMICROLIN.DLL
  The pop-up panel "TEP Micro Linear Stepper" opens at Run (and with OPEN PANEL on
  the strip) - the look of the TEP Serial Monitor. Tabs Slider, Graphs, Event
  log and Check; gear and ? icons for Settings and Help; the palette icon
  switches the theme:
    Slider     the state in big letters (MOVING OUT / IN with mm/s, the step
               rate and the drive; HOLDING; RELEASED; AT THE INNER / OUTER
               STOP; JAMMED; LOSING STEPS); the stroke with the slider (red:
               where it is, orange: where the coils ask) and a mm scale; the
               live values (position, coil steps, speed, step rate, drive,
               direction, lost steps, the coil currents); the two coil
               currents over the last 40 ms - square waves for full steps,
               sine and cosine for microsteps. The toolbar: the load on the
               slider (None, 2, 5, 8 N) and the Jam (40 N).
    Graphs     the slider's position against the position the coils ask
               for, the speed and the coil current over the last 2, 6 or
               15 s. Live / Freeze.
    Event log  the coils on, the drive ("DRIVE 1/4 MICROSTEP (80 steps a turn
               = 0.5 mm)"), every move ("HOLDING at 60.00 mm (2400 full
               steps) - the move peaked at 611 steps/s (15.3 mm/s)"), the end
               stops, lost steps with the reason, release, the load,
               warnings; filters All / Motion / Warnings, Pause, Clear
    Check      Good for: a slider that does not move, only buzzes, moves the
               wrong way, ends short, grinds at an end or gets hot - the
               coils, the current, the drive, the rate, lost steps, the end
               stops, the load, with the driver tips
    Settings   theme, text size, open at Run, window size
    Help       report a bug, suggest a feature, article, updates, donate,
               forum; Copy diagnostics for a bug report

TEST STATUS
V1.0: verified in Proteus 8.5 on 29 Oct 2026 (the demo project as shipped: an
A4 sheet, an Arduino UNO V4.0 with its built-in monitor, our A4988 - its pop-up
version, from its own library - at VREF 0.18 V (0.33 A) on a +12V supply, the
micro linear stepper, RV1 on A0 at 40 %; all pop-ups open). What the runs
showed:
  * The project loads and starts cleanly. RV1 at 40 %: "Pot 410 -> target
    5130 steps (1/4) = 32.06 mm"; the slider moves to 32.06 mm and holds with
    0.33 A, the drive read as 1/4 MICROSTEP, the coil LEDs lit.
  * "mm 60": MOVING OUT at 15.0 mm/s (about 600 full steps/s), the coil
    currents a clean sine and cosine; holds at exactly 60.00 mm.
  * "speed 25" + "mm 10": 25 mm/s (1010 full steps/s) back to 10.00 mm,
    nothing lost.
  * "ms 1" + "speed 5" + "s 200": FULL STEP, square-wave currents, 5 mm out
    to 15.00 mm.
  * "home" (in by 18 mm at 5 mm/s): the slider reaches the inner stop at
    0 mm ("END STOP: the slider is against the inner stop"), the last 3 mm
    grind: 120 full steps lost "against the end stop"; the sketch calls it
    0 mm.
  * The 5 N load + "mm 30": 30.00 mm, nothing lost.
  * The jam (40 N) + "s 200": the slider stays at 30.00 mm; 200 full steps
    lost (320 in all) - "the load is above the motor's thrust" - the sketch
    reports "At 35.00 mm - holding": an open-loop stepper never knows.
  * Jam off, "release" with the 5 N load still on: RELEASED, 0 A, and the
    slider stays at 30.00 mm - the screw holds it.
  * "hold" + "knob": the sketch goes to the pot's 32.06 mm in its own count,
    the slider stops at 27.06 mm - 5 mm short, the jam's 200 steps. "home"
    puts it right.
  * The A4988's own pop-up shows the 1/4 translator and its 0.33 A current
    limit (VREF 0.18 V); the motor is a plain load for it.
  Plus automatic checks on a PC, 0 failed: 33 on the motor (80 microsteps at
  1/4 = 0.5 mm; 10 mm at 10 mm/s; 200 full steps and 400 half steps = 5 mm;
  the drive read as 1/4, full and half; the rate; homing from 2 mm by 5 mm:
  the slider at 0, 120 full steps lost; the outer stop; a 5 N load moves, a
  40 N jam holds the slider and all is lost; released under 8 N the slider
  stays; ramped moves at 5 - 25 mm/s lose nothing; 50 mm/s from rest with no
  ramp loses steps; an L9110S-style 5 V H-bridge in full steps moves it; 0.6 A
  is warned; a coil off is reported); 3 on the pop-up pages rendered; the demo
  project read back from disk (114 checks: devices, pins, wires, labels, no
  wire through a part, no crossing).

INSTALLATION (about 2 minutes)
1. Close Proteus. Extract the WHOLE ZIP to a normal folder (e.g. Desktop).
2. Copy everything in "Proteus Library Files" (TEPMICROLIN.LIB and our Arduino
   library V4.0, ArduinoV4TEP.LIB) to the LIBRARY folder of Proteus, for
   example:
     C:\Program Files (x86)\Labcenter Electronics\Proteus 8 Professional\LIBRARY
   (on some PCs: C:\ProgramData\Labcenter Electronics\Proteus 8 Professional\
   LIBRARY - use the folder that already holds Proteus's own .LIB files).
3. Copy TEPMICROLIN.DLL and TEPARDUINO.DLL from "Proteus Model Files" to the
   MODELS folder (...\Proteus 8 Professional\MODELS). The demo's driver is NOT
   in this package: install our A4988 Stepper Motor Driver library the same
   way (its own ZIP - see IMPORTANT LINKS): TEPSTEPPER.LIB and TEPSTEPPER.DLL.
4. Delete TEPMICROLIN.IDX from the LIBRARY folder if it is there.
5. Start Proteus. In Pick Devices (P) search "linear".

RUN THE DEMO
"Proteus Simulation\Micro-Linear-Stepper-A4988-ArduinoUnoV4.pdsprj" - keep the
.hex file and the DLLs beside the project (with the A4988 library installed).
  ARD1: Arduino UNO V4.0 running Linear_Stepper_Demo.hex, its serial monitor
        built in (window "TEP Arduino UNO - ARD1").
  DRV1: the A4988 driver (pop-up version, our A4988 / DRV8825 library): STEP
        D3, DIR D4, EN D8, MS1 - MS3 D9 - D11, RST + SLP + VDD on 5V, VMOT on
        +12V, GND - by net labels; VREF 0.18 V (a 0.33 A current limit).
  M1:   the micro linear stepper: 1A 1B on A+ A-, 2A 2B on B+ B-.
  RV1:  a 10k potentiometer on A0: the slider follows it (0 - 80 mm).
  1. Press Run. The monitor and the two pop-ups open (move them aside). The
     slider moves to the pot's position and holds.
  2. Click RV1's arrows: the slider follows.
  3. Type in the monitor and press Send: mm 40, s 200, speed 15, ms 4, home,
     release, hold, knob.
  4. Click the slider: a jam - the slider stops and the steps are lost. Or put
     a load on it from the pop-up's toolbar (2 - 8 N) and move it again,
     faster and faster: the Check page tells whether it kept up.
  5. The motor's pop-up: Slider, Graphs, Event log, Check.

WIRING (the same in Proteus and on a real board)
  A4988           Arduino UNO
   STEP           D3
   DIR            D4
   EN             D8 (LOW = on)
   MS1 MS2 MS3    D9 D10 D11 (LOW HIGH LOW = 1/4)
   RST, SLP       tied together to 5V
   VDD, GND       5V, GND
   VMOT, GND      12 V supply (+ a 100 uF capacitor on a real board), GND
  Linear stepper  A4988 1A / 1B: A+ black / A- green; 2A / 2B: B+ red / B-
                  blue (other makers use other colours or bare pads: find the
                  pairs with a multimeter - about 15 ohm within a coil, open
                  between them)
In the sketch (no library needed):
  digitalWrite(DIR, HIGH);                      // out (away from the motor)
  digitalWrite(STEP, HIGH); delayMicroseconds(2); digitalWrite(STEP, LOW);   // one step
  1/4 microsteps: 160 steps a millimetre; start slowly and ramp up (the demo
  sketch does it; AccelStepper does it too).
REAL HARDWARE:
 * Set the A4988's current limit before you connect the motor: Itrip = VREF /
   (8 x 0.068 ohm) on most boards - VREF 0.18 V = 0.33 A per coil. These small
   motors overheat at the 1 A an A4988 is often set to.
 * Never connect or disconnect the motor while VMOT is on - it destroys the
   driver.
 * At 5 V an L9110S, a DRV8833 or an L298N drives it in full steps too (the
   coil's 15 ohm limits the current).
 * The screw holds the slider: EN HIGH between moves keeps the motor cool.
 * No limit switch? Home it: run in further than the stroke, then call it 0
   (the steps past the stop are lost - that is the point).

THE DEMO SKETCH ON THE SERIAL MONITOR (Linear_Stepper_Demo V1.0, 9600 baud)
  mm 40     go to 40 mm (and stay - the pot is ignored until "knob")
  s 200     200 FULL steps from here (- = in; 40 = 1 mm)
  speed 15  the top speed in mm/s (1 - 30)
  ms 4      the microsteps: 1 (full), 2, 4, 8 or 16
  home      run in by the position + 3 mm at 5 mm/s, then call it 0 mm
  release   the driver off (EN HIGH): no current - the screw still holds it
  hold      the driver on again (EN LOW)
  knob      follow the pot again            help      the list
EXPECTED MONITOR OUTPUT
  Micro Linear Stepper demo - The Engineering Projects
  A4988: STEP D3, DIR D4, EN D8, MS1-MS3 D9-D11 (1/4: 160 steps a mm).
    The slider follows the pot on A0 (0 - 80 mm).          (one line)
  Commands: mm 40 | s 200 | speed 15 | ms 4 | home | release | hold | knob | help
  Pot 410 -> target 5130 steps (1/4) = 32.06 mm
  At 32.06 mm - holding

PROPERTIES (double-click the part > Edit Properties)
  LOAD     an axial load on the slider in N (default 0; it pushes about 9 N
           at 0.33 A)
  START    the slider's position at the start in mm (default 0: against the
           motor-end stop)
  STROKE   the travel in mm (default 80; 10 - 80)
Every run starts again from the properties.

TROUBLESHOOTING
* The slider never moves and the pop-up says RELEASED: no coil current - the
  driver is off (EN HIGH, SLP or RST LOW), VMOT is missing or its current limit
  is 0.
* It only buzzes: the coils are mixed up (A+ and B+ on one output pair) - put
  one coil's two wires on 1A / 1B and the other's on 2A / 2B. The Check page
  warns when one coil gets no current.
* It moves the wrong way: swap the two wires of ONE coil (or DIR in the sketch).
* It ends short (LOSING STEPS): too fast, no ramp, too little current or too
  much load - or it reached an end stop (AT THE INNER / OUTER STOP).
* The positions drift after a jam or a stall: run "home" again.
* The part is not simulated: TEPMICROLIN.DLL is missing from MODELS and from
  the project folder. No driver: install our A4988 / DRV8825 library
  (TEPSTEPPER.LIB / .DLL). No UNO / no monitor window: TEPARDUINO.DLL, or click
  the UNO's USB port.
* The pop-up does not appear: click OPEN PANEL on the strip, or turn "Open the
  panel at Run" on its Settings page back on.

BUG REPORTS AND FEATURE REQUESTS
Please post them in our forum with a screenshot, the Serial Monitor text, the
simulation log and the pop-up's Copy diagnostics text:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/forum/category/motor-driver-proteus-library

SUPPORT US
This library is free. If it saves you time, please support our work:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/donate

LICENCES AND THIRD-PARTY NOTES
* The motor model (TEPMICROLIN.DLL), the symbol and artwork and the Arduino
  Library V4.0 (ArduinoV4TEP.LIB / TEPARDUINO.DLL) are made by The Engineering
  Projects. The model is an independent implementation written from the typical
  data of 15 mm 2-phase micro linear steppers with an M3 x 0.5 screw. The
  models use only standard Windows libraries; no Visual C++ redistributable is
  needed.
  The C++ source code is not included.
  The demo's driver, our A4988 Stepper Motor Driver library (TEPSTEPPER.LIB /
  TEPSTEPPER.DLL), is a separate download.
* The potentiometer is Proteus's own POT-HG.
* The demo's .hex is built from the demo sketch and the Arduino AVR core 1.8.6,
  which includes LGPL-licensed code; its source code is available at
  https://github.com/arduino/ArduinoCore-avr/tree/1.8.6
* Proteus is a product of Labcenter Electronics and is not included. Arduino is
  a trademark of Arduino SA. This library is not made or endorsed by any motor
  maker, Arduino or Labcenter.

REBUILDING THE FIRMWARE (OPTIONAL)
The HEX file is supplied; Arduino IDE is not needed to run the demo. To edit the
sketch, open Arduino Code\Linear_Stepper_Demo\Linear_Stepper_Demo.ino, select
Arduino Uno and use Sketch > Export Compiled Binary. The sketch needs 10,200
bytes of flash (31 % of the UNO) and 316 bytes of RAM.

MODEL SCOPE AND LIMITS
Modelled: the two coils (resistance, inductance, back-EMF), the PM rotor's 5
pole pairs (20 steps a turn) with its detent torque, the inertia of the rotor
and the screw, friction, the lead screw (0.5 mm a turn, 35 % efficient,
self-locking), an axial load, the two end stops, lost steps, any drive (full,
half, wave, 1/4 - 1/32 microsteps, a voltage H-bridge or a current chopper)
and the step timing as it comes.
How it runs: each coil is in the circuit as its backward-Euler companion over
the analog step (a conductance and a source), so the driver and the coil are
solved together; the rotor and the slider follow the solved currents in 10 us
sub-steps; the analog step is held to 100 us while the motor moves or a
current changes (1 ms at rest).
Not modelled: the screw's backlash, the slider bouncing at a stop, heating,
resonance details of a real mechanism, a load that pushes the slider (it only
resists), the differences between real motors.

VERSION
TEP Micro Linear Stepper Motor library V1.0 (Oct 2026). Device MICROLINSTEPTEP
(TEPMICROLIN.LIB / TEPMICROLIN.DLL). Demo sketch Linear_Stepper_Demo V1.0.
Demo driver: A4988ADVTEP (TEP A4988 / DRV8825 Stepper Driver library V1.0, a
separate library). Demo board: ARDUINO UNO V4.0 (TEP Arduino Library V4.0) with
its built-in serial monitor.