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I/ Structure and Operation: Stepper Motor

Stepper motors are useful for precisely controlling the position of a rover without feedback mechanisms. [1] They work by dividing a full rotation into discrete steps through electromagnetic attraction of the rotor teeth. [2] NEMA 17 stepper motors are commonly used and have a 1.7x1.7 inch faceplate. [3]

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300 views

I/ Structure and Operation: Stepper Motor

Stepper motors are useful for precisely controlling the position of a rover without feedback mechanisms. [1] They work by dividing a full rotation into discrete steps through electromagnetic attraction of the rotor teeth. [2] NEMA 17 stepper motors are commonly used and have a 1.7x1.7 inch faceplate. [3]

Uploaded by

TuanVU
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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STEPPER MOTOR

In order to precisely control the position of the rover when it moves, using
normal motors require feedback mechanisms, which are complex and costly. The
precise position can be achieved using stepper motors, without any feedback
mechanism or position sensing. Basically, stepper motors, like any motor, convert
electrical energy to mechanical energy. Hence it takes the energy from the battery
to run the rover. Difference is that it is brushless, and divides a whole rotation of
the rotor into an equal number of steps.

I/ Structure and Operation


Basic components in stepper motor:

- The rotor is a gear-shaped piece of magnet.


- The stator contains of electromagnets which are “toothed” (as 4 electromagnets in
the picture above)
In operation, the electromagnets will be turned on and off one by one, or
group by group via an external controller or driver circuit. The energized
electromagnet will attract the teeth on the rotor, and make the rotor rotate a small
angle. Then that electromagnet is turned off, and the next electromagnet is turned
on to make the rotor rotates a same angle the second time. The process just repeats
to make the rotor keep rotating.

In brushed DC motor, the rotor usually rotates continuously when the stator is
energized, which makes it hard to control the exact position without a feedback
system. However, by this mechanism, the rotation becomes “discrete”, since one
full rotation is divided into multiple small rotations. Each “unit” rotation is called
“a step”. By control the number of steps we want it to make, we can control the
position precisely.

The electromagnets in the stator are arranged in circular, and divided into
groups, or phases (for example: 2 phase motor has 2 phases A and B)
- Each phase contains an equal number of electromagnets.
- The electromagnets of each phase are arranged such to make a uniform
patterns: ABABABAB
Note that the stepper motor can only operate in a certain range of speed.
Since the faster it rotates, the less torque produced. And if it goes fast enough,
eventually it will stop produce torque.

Holding torque: The torque needed to move the motor one full step when the
windings are energized and the rotor is in stationary state
Detent torque: the amount of torque the motor can produce when the windings are
not energized. The detent torque reduces the ideal torque that the motor can
produce.1

2/ Types (based on the construction):


- Permanent magnet stepper: use of permanent magnet
- Variable reluctance stepper: use of a non magnetic soft iron rotor, which
rotates toward stator pole to create minimum reluctance

1
https://www.motioncontroltips.com/faq-whats-the-difference-between-detent-torque-and-holding-torque/
- Hybrid synchronous stepper: combination of both

3/ Driving mode:

3.1/ Wave drive (one phase on):


If the coils are activated one by one, like the motor above, in the operation part, it
is called wave drive mode. This method provides less torque, so it is rarely used.
3.2/ Full step drive (2 phases on)

Fig 1 is wave drive, and fig 2 is full step drive. The number of steps each rotation
is the same, but the torque provided by full step drive is higher.

3.3/ Half step drive


- The drive alternate between two phases on and one phase on
- Increasing the angle resolution (twice more steps each full rotation than full
step drive)
- Less torque than full step drive (provide 70% of the full step drive)
3.4/ Microstepping2

This method brings the smoothness for the movement of the rover, by dividing a
full step into smaller steps.
Microstepping is achieved by using pulse-width modulated (PWM) voltage 3 to
control current to the motor windings.

This method of driving produces more consistent torque and smoother motion:

2
https://www.linearmotiontips.com/microstepping-basics/
3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse-width_modulation
4/ Stepper motor vs Servo Motor
1/
Stepper: Open loop system: simple, low cost
Servo: Closed loop system: complex, expensive

2/
Stepper: high holding torque, low maximum velocity
Servo: lower holding torque, but can operate in higher speed
3/ a more detailed comparison4:

5/ NEMA 17

A NEMA 17 stepper motor is a stepper motor with a 1.7 x 1.7 inch (43.2 x 43.2
mm) faceplate.

4
https://www.kollmorgen.com/en-us/service-and-support/knowledge-center/white-papers/stepper-motor-or-
servo-motor-which-should-it-be/
Some technical specification5:
Step angle: 1.8 degrees

6/ Some calculations6:

5
http://ooznest.co.uk/NEMA-17-Stepper-Motor
6
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/tools/stepper-motor-calculator/
𝑉
𝑀𝑎𝑥 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 =
2𝐿𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑥 . 𝑠𝑝𝑟
2𝐿𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑥
𝑀𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝 =
𝑉
𝑃𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑉

V= applied voltage
Imax = maximum current
L = stepper motor inductance
Spr = steps per revolution

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