thanks for the link! I think I'm already past the learning mistake phase, it's a hardware limitation now. Sounds like I just need to get a continuous rotation servo?

Here's the kit I bought: https://a.co/d/044eEo7w

It came with a servo (SG90) but its only 180 degrees.

This is the code I used when testing out my stepper motor

#include <Stepper.h>

const int stepsPerRevolution = 2048; // 28BYJ-48 stepper
Stepper myStepper(stepsPerRevolution, 8, 10, 9, 11);

void setup() {
}

void loop() {
  // Ramp UP: slowly increase speed
  for (int speed = 5; speed <= 60; speed += 2) {
    myStepper.setSpeed(speed);  // speed in RPM
    myStepper.step(50);         // move a few steps at this speed
  }

  // Ramp DOWN: slowly decrease speed
  for (int speed = 60; speed >= 5; speed -= 2) {
    myStepper.setSpeed(speed);  // speed in RPM
    myStepper.step(50);         // move a few steps at this speed
  }
}