Project Files of NEMA 17 Linear Stage Library for Proteus Simulation

NEMA 17 LINEAR STAGE LIBRARY FOR PROTEUS SIMULATION - V1.0 (a lead-screw stage with end switches, with a pop-up)
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/nema-17-linear-stage-library-for-proteus.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, no Virtual Terminal to wire - its own article:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/10/arduino-uno-library-for-proteus-v40.html
The demo drives the stage through our TMC2209 Stepper Driver library (a SEPARATE library - install it too):
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/11/tmc2209-stepper-driver-library-for-proteus.html
Support us (the libraries are free):
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/donate

FILE STRUCTURE
NEMA-17-Linear-Stage-TEP-v1.0/
|-- Proteus Library Files/
|   |-- ArduinoV4TEP.LIB                              201.9 KB   TEP Arduino boards V4.0 (UNO) -> LIBRARY
|   |-- TEPLINSTAGE.LIB                                19.1 KB   the library -> LIBRARY folder
|-- Proteus Model Files/
|   |-- TEPARDUINO.DLL                                883.5 KB   the Arduino board model -> MODELS folder
|   |-- TEPLINSTAGE.DLL                               311.5 KB   the model -> MODELS folder
|-- Proteus Simulation/
|   |-- Stage_Demo.hex                                 22.4 KB   the demo firmware
|   |-- STAGE100-TMC2209-ArduinoUnoV4.pdsprj           21.1 KB   the demo project
|   |-- TEPARDUINO.DLL                                883.5 KB   copy of the board model
|   |-- TEPLINSTAGE.DLL                               311.5 KB   copy of the model
|-- Arduino Code/
|   |-- Stage_Demo/Stage_Demo.ino                       6.0 KB   the demo sketch (source of the .hex)
|-- README.txt                                        ~13.9 KB   this file
Total: 2.61 MB (unzipped). The C++ source code of the models is not included.

WHAT IS IT?
A 100 mm linear stage - the common hobby class: a NEMA 17 stepper turning a T8 lead screw, a
carriage on two 8 mm rods between two
aluminium plates - with two end switches, drawn at true scale (top view: the motor, the plates, the
rods, the screw, the carriage with its brass
nut, the MIN and MAX microswitches; our own drawing, no maker's mark):
  * The motor: the 17HS4401 class - 1.8 deg (200 full steps a turn), 1.7 A, 1.5 ohm, 2.8 mH, 0.40
    N.m holding, 50 rotor teeth.
  * The screw: a T8 with an 8 mm lead (a 4-start thread): one turn moves the carriage 8 mm - 40
    microns a full step, 400 pulses a mm at 16
    microsteps. The model: 45 % efficient (our figure for a 4-start nut), 6 mN.m of drag, the
    carriage 0.3 kg plus PAYLOAD, horizontal or
    vertical.
  * The coils: each 1.5 ohm, 2.8 mH and its back-EMF, solved with the driver - the current a driver
    can push falls as the speed rises.
  * The ends: the carriage stops hard against the plates at 0 and 100 mm (the motor stalls and slips
    there); MIN closes to COM within 2 mm
    of 0, MAX within 2 mm of 100.
  * Click it at Run for the pop-up: the carriage on its track with the switches, the coil currents,
    the field against the rotor (the load
    angle), graphs, an event log and a check page.
The body is drawn as on the real part and to true scale against our Arduino.
The TEP signature and the pop-up are TEP additions.

ONE DEVICE (search "STAGE100" in Pick Devices):
  STAGE100TEP  "NEMA 17 Linear Stage V1.0" in TEPLINSTAGE.LIB (Electromechanical > Motors), prefix
  M, model TEPLINSTAGE.DLL (analog).
               Pins A+ A- B+ B- (the motor's coils) and MIN COM MAX (the switches) on the left. The
               name starts with S so that it sorts
               after the embedded ARDUINO UNO V4.0.
The demo's driver is our TMC2209 module (TMC2209TEP in TEPTMC2209.LIB / TEPTMC2209.DLL): a separate
library - install it from its own
package.

THE POP-UP
Click the part at Run. Tabs:
    Stage      the carriage on its 100 mm track (the travel so far, the switches lit when closed), a
    scope of the two coil currents over
               about four electrical turns (20 - 100 ms), the field against the rotor's teeth with
               the torque curve, and eight live
               values: position, speed, coil A, coil B, thrust and torque, load angle, the switches,
               the full steps lost.
    Graphs     the live values over the last 2, 6 or 15 s. Live / Freeze.
    Event log  every change and warning; filters All / Changes / Warnings, Pause, Clear
    Check      what the part is doing and what to look at, each with a verdict (green = fine, amber
    = check, red = wrong)
    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 8 Nov 2026 (the demo project as shipped: an A4 sheet, an Arduino UNO V4.0).
What the runs showed (the model's own numbers and the sketch's monitor):
  * The project loads and starts cleanly; the 12 s program runs in about three and a half minutes on
    our PC (with both pop-ups open).
  * The stage through our TMC2209 on 24 V at 1/16 (400 pulses a mm), 1.2 A peak (VREF 1.2), the
    carriage starting at 50 mm. Homing: towards
    MIN at 20.0 mm/s (150 RPM, 1.32 A); MIN closed at 2.70 s, 48.01 mm travelled; backed off at 4.9
    mm/s; onto MIN again at 2.0 mm/s (load
    angle 8 deg); HOMED at 4.84 s, holding at 2.00 mm on the track (the switch closes 2 mm from the
    plate) with 1.20 A, MIN ON.
  * The moves (the sketch's 50 / 90 / 10 mm = 52 / 92 / 12 mm on the track): 30.1 mm/s (226 RPM,
    1.32 A) and holding at 52.00 mm; 40.0 mm/s
    (300 RPM, 1.28 A) and holding at 92.00 mm; back at 40.0 mm/s and holding at 12.00 mm. Load angle
    within 8 deg, thrust 2 - 4 N, 0 full
    steps lost, 0 end hits, the motor 25.5 C.
  * The pop-up: Stage (the carriage on its track, the coil-current scope, the field against the
    rotor), Graphs, Event log, Check - all four
    followed the run; the carriage and the screw's thread moved on the sheet.

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" (TEPLINSTAGE.LIB and our Arduino library V4.0,
ArduinoV4TEP.LIB, with the ARDUINO UNO V4.0 used by the demo) to the LIBRARY folder of Proteus, for
example:
     C:\Program Files (x86)\Labcenter Electronics\Proteus 8 Professional\LIBRARY
   (use the folder that already holds Proteus's own .LIB files).
3. Copy TEPLINSTAGE.DLL and TEPARDUINO.DLL from "Proteus Model Files" to the MODELS folder
(...\Proteus 8 Professional\MODELS).
4. Delete TEPLINSTAGE.IDX from the LIBRARY folder if it is there (Proteus makes a new index).
5. Start Proteus. In Pick Devices (P) search "STAGE100".

RUN THE DEMO
"Proteus Simulation\STAGE100-TMC2209-ArduinoUnoV4.pdsprj" (an A4 sheet) - keep the .hex file and the
DLLs beside the project.
  ARD1:   Arduino UNO V4.0 running Stage_Demo.hex, its serial monitor built in (window "TEP Arduino
  UNO - ARD1").
  U1:     our TMC2209 module on 24 V (VDD 5 V): STEP D3, DIR D4, EN D8, MS1 D5 and MS2 D6 (both
  high: 1/16), DIAG to D7.
  M1:     the stage: A+ A- B+ B- from the TMC2209's A1 A2 B1 B2, MIN to D10, MAX to D11, COM to GND
  (the UNO's pull-ups).
  1. Homing: towards MIN at 20 mm/s until it closes, back off 3 mm, onto it again at 2 mm/s - that
  point is 0.
  2. Moves to 50 mm at 30 mm/s, to 90 mm at 40 mm/s and back to 10 mm at 40 mm/s.
Closed the monitor? Click the UNO's USB port.

WIRING (the same in Proteus and on a real board)
  A+ A- / B+ B- to a stepper driver's two coil outputs (swap one pair to reverse). MIN / MAX to
  inputs with pull-ups, COM to ground.
  Home at power-up: a stepper has no idea where it is until it touches a switch.
REAL HARDWARE:
 * Keep the moves inside the switches: past them the carriage hits the plate and the motor slips
   (noisy, and the position is lost).
 * Speed costs torque: on 12 V the driver cannot push the full current at high speed; 24 V gives the
   screw far more speed.
 * A vertical stage back-drives when unpowered with an 8 mm lead: keep the driver enabled, or use a
   brake.

THE DEMO SKETCH ON THE SERIAL MONITOR (Stage_Demo V1.0, 9600 baud)
The sketch homes, runs its moves, then waits. Type a command:
  g 25    go to 25 mm        h    home again
EXPECTED MONITOR OUTPUT
  NEMA 17 linear stage - The Engineering Projects
  TMC2209 at 1/16: 400 pulses a mm; homing on MIN first

PROPERTIES (double-click the part > Edit Properties)
  Start (START)                        where the carriage starts, mm (50)
  Payload (PAYLOAD)                    the mass on the carriage, kg (0.5; the carriage itself 0.3
  kg)
  Orientation (ORIENT)                 Horizontal or Vertical (Horizontal)
Every run starts again from the properties.

LINKS.INI (OPTIONAL)
The Help page cards of the pop-up open web pages. To point them somewhere else without a new DLL,
put a text file named links.ini next to TEPLINSTAGE.DLL with lines KEY=URL, for example:
  ARTICLE=https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/...
Keys: WEBSITE, FORUM, BUG_REPORT, FEATURE_REQUEST, ARTICLE, USER_GUIDE,
UPDATE_CHECK, DONATE. Only http:// and https:// links are used; lines starting
with # are comments.

TROUBLESHOOTING
* It does not move: no current in the coils (the driver is off, or its EN is high), or the coils are
  not wired to A+ A- B+ B-.
* AT THE END: the carriage is against a plate - move back inside 0 - 100 mm; home on MIN first.
* Steps lost: too fast for the current the supply can push, or a hit at an end.
* The part is not simulated: TEPLINSTAGE.DLL is missing from MODELS and from the project folder.
* The part is not simulated: TEPLINSTAGE.DLL is missing from MODELS and from the project folder. No
  UNO / no monitor window: TEPARDUINO.DLL is missing, or click the UNO's USB port.

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

WEBSITE
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/

LICENCES AND THIRD-PARTY NOTES
* The model (TEPLINSTAGE.DLL), the symbols and artwork, the other parts of ours in the demo and the
  Arduino Library V4.0 (ArduinoV4TEP.LIB / TEPARDUINO.DLL, with its built-in TEP Serial Monitor
  Advance) are made by The Engineering Projects. The models use only standard Windows libraries; no
  Visual C++ redistributable is needed.
  The C++ source code is not included.
* Arduino UNO V4.0 (ArduinoV4TEP.LIB / TEPARDUINO.DLL, our Arduino Library V4.0 - its
  microcontroller is Proteus's own AVR model): The Engineering Projects,
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/10/arduino-uno-library-for-proteus-v40.html
* The .hex file 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 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\Stage_Demo\Stage_Demo.ino, select Arduino Uno and use Sketch > Export Compiled Binary.
Replace the simulation's .hex with the exported HEX. The sketch needs 8,158 bytes of flash and 272
bytes of RAM.

MODEL SCOPE AND LIMITS
Modelled: the two coils (resistance, inductance, back-EMF) with the driver's currents, the rotor's
teeth and detent, the screw's lead,
efficiency and drag, the carriage's mass and the payload (horizontal or vertical), the hard ends,
the switches, slips, the motor's temperature
(lumped - our figures).
Not modelled: the nut's backlash, the screw's whip at speed, the rods' wear.

VERSION
TEP NEMA 17 Linear Stage library V1.0 (Nov 2026). Device STAGE100TEP (TEPLINSTAGE.LIB /
TEPLINSTAGE.DLL). Demo sketch Stage_Demo V1.0. Demo board: ARDUINO UNO V4.0 (TEP Arduino Library
V4.0) with its built-in serial monitor; driver: our TMC2209 Stepper Driver library.