A stepper motor control method and related control circuitry (for example, an FPGA) to control the acceleration and/or deceleration of the stepper motor movement to reduce system vibration. Acceleration and deceleration are implemented by adjusting the stepper motor period (the time between consecutive stepper motor position) based on the distance from the start or to the end position. The closer to the start or end position, the longer the period employed. In the middle range of its travel, the motor speed is constant and the stepper motor period is the shortest. The stepper motor period is always a nominal period multiplied by a factor of 2{circumflex over ()}n, where n is zero or a positive integer. The resulting motor position vs. time curve is an approximated S-curve. The acceleration and deceleration control minimizes mechanically induced vibrations, while reducing implementation complexity and demand on FPGA resources.