The new A4979 from Allegro MicroSystems Europe is a programmable stepper motor driver IC with microstepping capability and improved programmability and diagnostics.

The new device is a flexible microstepping motor driver with a built-in translator for easy operation. It offers a single-chip solution for operating bipolar stepper motors in full, half, quarter and sixteenth-step modes at voltages up to 50V and currents up to 1.5A.
The A4979 uses all digital timing, with no need for external timing components, and utilizes a serial port (SPI) for programming operating parameters and reading back diagnostic information. The device can be controlled by simple step and direction inputs or through the SPI-compatible serial interface.
The current regulator can be programmed to operate in fixed off-time or fixed frequency pulse-width modulation modes, with several decay modes available to reduce audible motor noise and increase step accuracy.
www.allegromicro.com