28BYJ-48 stepper with Raspberry Pi Pico W

Wiring for the 28BYJ-48 stepper + ULN2003 driver on the Raspberry Pi Pico W (RP2040, 3.3 V logic), chosen with the same pin rules BoardPilot uses: default buses first, and no pins that are used for flash, USB, the debugger or booting.

Wiring

28BYJ-48 stepper pin	Role	Raspberry Pi Pico W pin	Notes
IN1	Input to the part	GP15
IN2	Input to the part	GP14
IN3	Input to the part	GP13
IN4	Input to the part	GP12
-	Ground	GND
+	Power	VBUS	Motor supply 5 V: use VBUS (about 240 mA)

Check before you power it on

Supply: 5 V from the VBUS pin.
Motors, servos, relays and LED strips can draw more current than the Raspberry Pi Pico W’s pins or USB can give. Power them separately and connect the grounds together.

Test code (Arduino)

// Library: Stepper (built in)
#include <Stepper.h>

// 2048 steps per turn; note the IN1, IN3, IN2, IN4 order for this motor
Stepper motor(2048, 15, 13, 14, 12);

void setup() {
  motor.setSpeed(10);  // rpm
}

void loop() {
  motor.step(2048);   // one turn
  delay(500);
  motor.step(-2048);  // and back
  delay(500);
}

Arduino board: rp2040:rp2040:rpipicow. If the board is not found, hold the BOOTSEL button while plugging in the USB cable.

Questions

Which Raspberry Pi Pico W pins do I use for the 28BYJ-48 stepper?

IN1 → GP15, IN2 → GP14, IN3 → GP13, IN4 → GP12, - → GND, + → VBUS.

Does the 28BYJ-48 stepper work with the Raspberry Pi Pico W at 3.3 V?

Yes: the 28BYJ-48 stepper runs at 5 V and the Raspberry Pi Pico W uses 3.3 V signals, so no level shifting is needed.

BoardPilot checks this wiring in 3D as you build it, and finds crossed or missing wires on the real board.

Download BoardPilot

Full Raspberry Pi Pico W pinout · 28BYJ-48 stepper + ULN2003 driver: all pins and data

The 28BYJ-48 stepper on other boards

ESP32 DevKit Arduino Mega 2560 R3 Arduino Nano Arduino Uno R3 WeAct Black Pill STM32F411CE ESP32-C3-DevKitM-1 ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1 Nordic nRF52840 DK NUCLEO-F401RE Raspberry Pi Pico 2 Raspberry Pi Pico Teensy 4.1

Other parts on the Raspberry Pi Pico W

BME280 BMP280 DHT22 DHT11 HC-SR04 SSD1306 OLED MPU6050 DS18B20 WS2812B LED strip SG90 servo Relay module HC-SR501 PIR LCD 1602 I2C INA219 VL53L0X BH1750 MAX30102 RC522 RFID NEO-6M GPS Capacitive soil moisture sensor ADS1115 TM1637 L298N Potentiometer Push button LED Joystick module SD card module AHT20