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stpper motor controller / driver — Parallax Forums

stpper motor controller / driver

realolman1realolman1 Posts: 55
edited 2014-06-27 11:59 in General Discussion
I would like to get a controller and or driver that I can use to test a stepper motor on the bench In an Industrial facility It Is a vexta C7395-9212K 1.8 deg step 6.2 v and 1.38 A / phase

If possible, all I would like to have to do is hook up the motor and the power supply(ies) and maybe two switches ... run and direction... that's how I'd like it to operate... actually I'm willing to hook up a bit more than that if necessary ( I saw the other stepper motor thread , and I've had a few rat's nests myself ... but I digress )

please recommend something. thank you

Comments

  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2014-06-27 04:17
    realolman1

    The easiest possible solution is to purchase a stepper motor driver. A common stepper motor driver has a step pin, a direction pin, and a disable pin. To set the direction, you send either a high or low signal to the direction pin. To enable or disable the motor you send either a high or a low to the disable pin. To make the motor rotate, you send pulses to the step pin.

    The higher the voltage within the parameters of the stepper driver, the faster the motor can rotate. Steppers are often driven way past the stated voltage and the speed of the motor will depend upon the maximum voltage of the driver and power supply available.

    This driver here looks like it could get you up and running in no time: http://www.pololu.com/product/2133
  • realolman1realolman1 Posts: 55
    edited 2014-06-27 05:15
    thanks for your reply.

    As a matter of fact, I had just looked at that very driver right before I posted here... wouldn't I still need to provide 200 pulses per second in order to get the motor to rotate once a second?

    that's the kind of stuff I have been running into .... I guess I could connect some sort of square wave generator to the pulse pin?????
  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2014-06-27 05:22
    I guess I could connect some sort of square wave generator to the pulse pin?????

    By attaching a Propeller to the driver, you can develop the necessary pulsetrain, however I believe you could also do it with a 555 timer chip, although I have never done it that way.
  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2014-06-27 05:24
    By using a microcontroller, you can ramp the motor up or down by narrowing or widening the pulsetrain. Without ramping, you will never acheive the full potential of the motor or driver.
  • Mark_TMark_T Posts: 1,981
    edited 2014-06-27 05:39
    idbruce wrote: »
    By using a microcontroller, you can ramp the motor up or down by narrowing or widening the pulsetrain. Without ramping, you will never acheive the full potential of the motor or driver.

    ramping the step frequency, not pulse width. Step pulse width just has to be 10us or more, rising edge is what
    matters.
  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2014-06-27 05:53
    Mark_T

    I stand corrected. Yes indeed, it would be the delay between pulses.
  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2014-06-27 05:56
    A guy really has to be on his toes around here :)
  • realolman1realolman1 Posts: 55
    edited 2014-06-27 06:02
    one does indeed... that's what u get for trying to help somebody

    hey thanks
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2014-06-27 08:35
    A program to generate step pulses based on a button input would be an almost trivial program. I'm sure someone around here would help you write one if you can't do it yourself.

    The Propeller Project Board accepts a wide range of input voltages and would do the job nicely. Get a couple buttons and resistors and you should be good to go.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2014-06-27 09:18
    Seems like a shame to waste a prop just to pulse a stepper motor driver when a 555 could do it for a dollar or two in parts. Use a pot and you can manually adjust the step rate. OTOH if you keep a prop around for testing/calibrating various bits of hardware that would be a trivial function to add to it.
  • NWCCTVNWCCTV Posts: 3,629
    edited 2014-06-27 11:59
    A program to generate step pulses based on a button input would be an almost trivial program
    I actually built a 2 Pushbutton circuit for this purpose. It will work with either a Prop or Stamp program. The first PB is for CW and the second is for CCW. Works great when testing stepper motors, Servos and LED's for On/Off.
    The circuit was copied directly from the Parallax WAM manual using the 2 Pushbutton Circuit.
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