Difference between revisions of "Stepper Motor Circuits"

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[[Category:Actuators]]
[[Category:Actuators]]


===Basics===
==Basics==
To control a stepper motor, you have to energize each winding individually in a specific and timed order. The energizing is accomplished by a driver circuit (an amplifier). The timing is performed by an indexer circuit and the objective (go forward, go backward, brake, coast, etc.) is controlled by some external user interface, such as a computer or joystick. The figure below shows this process.
To control a stepper motor, you have to energize each winding individually in a specific and timed order. The energizing is accomplished by a driver circuit (an amplifier). The timing is performed by an indexer circuit and the objective (go forward, go backward, brake, coast, etc.) is controlled by some external user interface, such as a computer or joystick. The figure below shows this process.


[[image:stepper motor block diagram.jpg|500px]]
[[image:stepper motor block diagram.jpg|500px]]



==Indexing==



==Drivers==
The circuits for driving unipolar and bipolar stepper motors differ because bipolar stepper motors don't have a "center tap." However, it is possible to use bipolar drivers to drive unipolar steppers after some small modifications.


Care must be taken in the driver circuit to protect against voltage spikes. Because the motor windings are inductors, switching off the power to the winding produces a short burst of voltage. To protect against this, always put a diode in parallel with the winding, making sure the diode can handle the winding current. This is shown in the following figure.
Care must be taken in the driver circuit to protect against voltage spikes. Because the motor windings are inductors, switching off the power to the winding produces a short burst of voltage. To protect against this, always put a diode in parallel with the winding, making sure the diode can handle the winding current. This is shown in the following figure.
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[[image:winding diagram.jpg|200px]]
[[image:winding diagram.jpg|200px]]


===Unipolar Stepper Driver Circuit===

The basic drive circuitry for a single unipolar winding is shown in the following figure.

[[image:unipolar driver digram.jpg]]

For the switches, any kind of switching technology can be used. The following figure shows two such switches. The first one uses a power darlington transistor and the second one uses a power field effect transistor.

[[image:unipolar switch circuits.jpg]]


===Bipolar Stepper Driver Circuit===


===Example Circuit===





Revision as of 12:08, 30 June 2006


Basics

To control a stepper motor, you have to energize each winding individually in a specific and timed order. The energizing is accomplished by a driver circuit (an amplifier). The timing is performed by an indexer circuit and the objective (go forward, go backward, brake, coast, etc.) is controlled by some external user interface, such as a computer or joystick. The figure below shows this process.

Stepper motor block diagram.jpg


Indexing

Drivers

The circuits for driving unipolar and bipolar stepper motors differ because bipolar stepper motors don't have a "center tap." However, it is possible to use bipolar drivers to drive unipolar steppers after some small modifications.

Care must be taken in the driver circuit to protect against voltage spikes. Because the motor windings are inductors, switching off the power to the winding produces a short burst of voltage. To protect against this, always put a diode in parallel with the winding, making sure the diode can handle the winding current. This is shown in the following figure.

Winding diagram.jpg

Unipolar Stepper Driver Circuit

The basic drive circuitry for a single unipolar winding is shown in the following figure.

Unipolar driver digram.jpg

For the switches, any kind of switching technology can be used. The following figure shows two such switches. The first one uses a power darlington transistor and the second one uses a power field effect transistor.

Unipolar switch circuits.jpg


Bipolar Stepper Driver Circuit

References