Stepper motor driver
Zap-o
Posts: 452
Hey forum,
So I want to learn more about stepper motor drivers. You know, what make a driver differ from another? Besides current and voltage ratings.
Optimality I wish to control a stepper motor with great resolution and need to select a driver for this. Perhaps stopping the stepper motor in between steps and applying some hold current to keep it in the "in-between" phase.
Any input will be appreciated. Thanks
So I want to learn more about stepper motor drivers. You know, what make a driver differ from another? Besides current and voltage ratings.
Optimality I wish to control a stepper motor with great resolution and need to select a driver for this. Perhaps stopping the stepper motor in between steps and applying some hold current to keep it in the "in-between" phase.
Any input will be appreciated. Thanks
Comments
You might have a look at these:
http://dkc1.digikey.com/us/en/tod/STMicroelectronics/StepperFundamentals_NoAudio/Stepper_Fundamentals_NoAudio.swf
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?120436-How-best-to-control-a-2-amp-stepper-motor-with-the-Propeller
Are you wanting to use a unipolar or bipolar motor?
It sounds like what you want is called a microstepping drive. I recently got a Gecko G251x Drive and it seems to work really well for my bipolar stepper motor. You adjust the current with an external resistor and tweak it a little for slow motion, but other than that it's just a matter of controlling 3 pins: enable, step, and direction. For me, it worked out cheaper to just buy a Gecko than to build one from scratch using an L6208, but the L6208 can be used for microstepping, too.
http://www.geckodrive.com/categories.html
Frankly, there is really more to steppers than micro-stepping. There are also the consideration of building hardware that will actually drive a stepper motor that has sufficient power. And then there is the question of speed if you have to use it in a production setting.
These other factors are 'real world' electronic issues rather than hobby electronics which allows us to get away with quite a bit of slop in the smallness of designs. If you really want to know 'everything', include the real world in your scope.
http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=2125¶m=en542238