Abstract:

SPEED AND DIRECTION CONTROL OF STEPPER MOTOR USING JOYSTICK

A stepper motor (or step motor) is a brushless DC electric motor that divides a full rotation into a number of equal steps. It is an electromechanical device that converts electrical pulses into discrete mechanical movements. The rotation angle of the motor is proportional to the input pulse. They are typically digitally controlled as part of an open loop system for use in holding or positioning applications. Advantages are low cost, high reliability, high torque at low speed and simple, rugged construction that operates in almost any environment. Our aim is to use the thumb joystick to control the direction of the stepper motor on the X-axis, left to right as well as the speed. Here we use an Arduino Board and a joystick to control the speed and direction of a 2 Phase Hybrid stepper motor. The Arduino Uno R3 board comes with a Arduino Motor Shield Rev3 as well as a joystick breakout board, from which a digital type joystick is connected. Here we give an analog input to the Arduino arrangement that consists of a microcomputer that needs to be coded,since we need a Digital output for the driver which runs the stepper motor. It can be run in Full- or halfstepping driving mode. Hardware: Joystick -> Arduino (analog in) -> Arduino (digital out) -> Stepper driver -> stepper motor

Base paper:

What is a Stepper Motor? A stepper motor (also referred to as step or stepping motor) is an electromechanical device achieving mechanical movements through conversion of electrical pulses. Stepper motors are driven by digital pulses rather than by a continuous applied voltage. Unlike conventional electric motors which rotate continuously, stepper motors rotate or step in fixed angular increments. A stepper motor is most commonly used for position control. With a stepper motor/driver/controller system design, it is assumed the stepper motor will follow digital instructions. One important aspect of stepper motors is the lack of feedback to maintain control of position, which classifies stepper motors as open-loop systems.

Block Diagram for Stepper Motor System

Physical Properties of a Stepper Motor The main components of a stepper motor are the shaft, rotor and stator laminations, magnets, bearings, copper wires and lead wires, washers, and front and end covers. The shaft of a stepper motor is typically made of stainless steel metal, while the stator and the rotor laminations are comprised of silicon steel. The silicon steel allows for higher electrical resistivity which lowers core loss. The various magnets available in stepper motors allow for multiple construction considerations. These magnets are ferrite plastic, ferrite sintered and Nd-Fe-B bonded magnets. The bearings of a stepper motor vary with size of the motor. The housing materials are composed of various other metals like aluminum, which allow for high resistance to heat. How Does a Stepper Motor Work? The main use of stepper motors is to control motion, whether it is linear or rotational. In the case of rotational motion, receiving digital pulses in a correct sequence allows the shaft of a stepper motor to rotate in discrete step increments. A pulse (also referred to as a clock or step signal) used in a stepper motor system can be produced by microprocessors, timing logic, a toggle switch or relay closure. A train of digital pulses translates into shaft revolutions.

Each revolution requires a given number of pulses and each pulse equals one rotary increment or step, which is only a portion of one complete rotation. There are numerous relationships between the motors shaft rotation and input pulses. One such relationship is the direction of rotation and the sequence of applied pulses. With proper sequential pulses being delivered to the device, the rotation of the shaft motor will undergo a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation. Another relation between the motors rotation and input pulses is the relationship between frequency and speed. Increasing the frequency of the input pulses allows for the speed of the motor shaft rotation to increase.

Features that stepper motors provide include:

Excellent rotational accuracy Large torque Small size Work well over a range of speeds Can be used for motion or position control

Basic Types of Stepper Motors

A stepper motor varies per application by construction and functionality. The three most common stepper motor types are Variable Reluctance, Permanent Magnet, and Hybrid Stepper Motors. Hybrid Stepper Motors(Used in this Project) Hybrid stepper motors incorporate the qualities of both the VR and PM stepper motor designs. With the Hybrid stepper motors multi-toothed rotor resemblance of the VR, and an axially magnetized concentric magnet around its shaft, the Hybrid stepper motor provides an increase in detent, holding and dynamic torque. In comparison to the PM stepper motor, the Hybrid stepper motor provides performance enhancement with respect to step resolution, torque, and speed. In addition, the Hybrid stepper motor is capable of operating at high stepping speeds. Typical Hybrid stepper motors are designed with step angles of 0.9, 1.8, 3.6 and 4.5; 1.8 being the most commonly used step angle. Hybrid stepper motors are ideally suited for applications having stable loads with speeds under 1,000 rpm. There are key components which are influential with respect to the running torque of a Hybrid stepper motor; laminations, teeth and magnetic materials. Increasing the amount of laminations on the rotor, precision and sharpness of the rotor and stator teeth, and strength of magnetic material are all factors taken into consideration in designing for optimal torque output for Hybrid stepper motors. Brief Summary of Hybrid Stepper Motors: Smaller step angles in comparison to VR and PM stepper motors Rotor is made of a permanent magnet with fine teeth Increase in detent, holding and dynamic torque 1.8 is the most common step angle

Stepper Motor Modes Stepper motors are driven by waveforms which approximate to sinusoidal waveforms. There are three excitation modes commonly used with stepper motors: full-step, half-step and microstepping.

Stepper Motor - Full-Step (Two Phases are on) In full-step operation, the stepper motor steps through the normal step angle, e.g. with a 200 step/revolution the motor rotates 1.8 per full step, while in half-step operation the motor rotates 0.9 per full step. There are two kinds of full-step modes which are single-phase fullstep excitation and dual-phase full-step excitation. In single-phase full-step excitation, the stepper motor operates with only one phase energized at a time. This mode is typically used in applications where torque and speed performances are less important, wherein the motor operates at a fixed speed and load conditions are well defined. Typically, stepper motors are used in full-step mode as replacements in existing motion systems, and not used in new developments. Problems with resonance can prohibit operation at some speeds. This mode requires the least amount of power from the drive power supply of any of the excitation modes. In dual-phase full-step excitation, the stepper motor operates with two phases energized at a time. This mode provides excellent torque and speed performance with minimal resonance problems.

Formulas for a Stepper Motor Step angle calculation: Stepper Motor - Half-Step Stepper motor half-step excitation mode alternates between single and dual-phase operations resulting in steps that are half the normal step size. Therefore, this mode provides twice the resolution. While the motor torque output varies on alternate steps, this is more than offset by the need to step through only half the angle. This mode had become the predominately used mode by Anaheim Automation beginning in the 1970s, because it offers almost complete freedom from resonance issues. The stepper motor can operate over a wide range of speeds and drive almost any load commonly encountered. Although half-step drivers are still a popular and affordable choice, many newer microstepping drivers are cost-effective

= Step Angle Ns = Number of teeth on stator Nr = Number of teeth on rotor Steps per second = (rpm * steps per revolution )*60 Advantages of a Stepper Motor Cost-effective* Simple designs High reliability Brushless construction Maintenance-free If windings are energized at standstill, the motor has full torque No feedback mechanisms required High acceleration and power rate A wide range of rotational speeds can be attained as the speed is proportional to the frequency of the input pulses Known limit to the dynamic position error *Stepper motor products vary in cost based on the criteria for each application. Some criteria include options of 0.9, 1.8, 3.6 and 4.5 step angles, torque ranging from 1 to 5,700 oz-in, and NEMA frame sizes of 08 to 42. Additional attachments such as cables and encoders can

be purchased separately for an additional cost. With our friendly customer service and professional application assistance, Anaheim Automation often surpasses customer expectations for fulfilling specific stepper motor and driver requirements, as well as other motion control needs. Disadvantages of a Stepper Motor Low efficiency (Motor attracts a substantial amount of power regardless of the load) Torque drops rapidly with speed (torque is inversely proportional of speed) Prone to resonance* (Microstepping allows for smooth motion) No feedback to indicate missed steps Low torque-to-inertia ratio Cannot accelerate loads very rapidly Motor gets very hot in high performance configurations Motor will not pick up after momentary overload Motor is noisy at moderate to high speeds Low output power for size and weight

The controller of the circuit is designed on a Arduino

Uno R3 Board

This is the new Arduino Uno R3. In addition to all the features of the previous board, the Uno now uses an ATmega16U2 instead of the 8U2 found on the Uno (or the FTDI found on previous generations). This allows for faster transfer rates and more memory. No drivers needed for Linux or Mac (inf file for Windows is needed and included in the Arduino IDE), and the ability to have the Uno show up as a keyboard, mouse, joystick, etc. The Uno R3 also adds SDA and SCL pins next to the AREF. In addition, there are two new pins placed near the RESET pin. One is the IOREF that allow the shields to adapt to the voltage provided from the board. The other is a not connected and is reserved for future purposes. The Uno R3 works with all existing shields but can adapt to new shields which use these additional pins.

Arduino is an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple i/o board and a development environment that implements the Processing/Wiringlanguage. Arduino can be used to develop stand-alone interactive objects or can be connected to software on your computer (e.g. Flash, Processing, MaxMSP). The open-source IDE can be downloaded for free (currently for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux). Arduino Board Contains a Arduino motor shield Rev3
The Arduino Motor Shield is based on the L298 (datasheet), which is a dual full-bridge driver designed to drive inductive loads such as relays, solenoids, DC and stepping motors. It lets you drive two DC motors with your Arduino board, controlling the speed and direction of each one independently. You can also measure the motor current absorption of each motor, among other features. The shield is TinkerKit compatible, which means you can quickly create projects by plugging TinkerKit modules to the board. Summary Operating Voltage Motor controller 5V to 12V L298P, Drives 2 DC motors or 1 stepper motor

Max current Current sensing Free running stop and brake function

2A per channel or 4A max (with external power supply) 1.65V/A

Power The Arduino Motor Shield must be powered only by an external power supply. Because the L298 IC mounted on the shield has two separate power connections, one for the logic and one for the motor supply driver. The required motor current often exceeds the maximum USB current rating. External (non-USB) power can come either from an AC-to-DC adapter (wall-wart) or battery. The adapter can be connected by plugging a 2.1mm center-positive plug into the Arduino's board power jack on which the motor shield is mounted or by connecting the wires that lead the power supply to the Vin and GND screw terminals, taking care to respect the polarities. To avoid possible damage to the Arduino board on which the shield is mounted, we reccomend using an external power supply that provides a voltage between 7 and 12V. If your motor require more than 9V we recommend that you separate the power lines of the shield and the Arduino board on which the shield is mounted. This is possible by cutting the "Vin Connect" jumper placed on the back side of the shield. The absolute limit for the Vin at the screw terminals is 18V. The power pins are as follows: Vin on the screw terminal block, is the input voltage to the motor connected to the shield. An external power supply connected to this pin also provide power to the Arduino board on which is mounted. By cutting the "Vin Connect"jumper you make this a dedicated power line for the motor. GND Ground on the screw terminal block. The shield can supply 2 amperes per channel, for a total of 4 amperes maximum. Input and Output of the Sheild This shield has two separate channels, called A and B, that each use 4 of the Arduino pins to drive or sense the motor. In total there are 8 pins in use on this shield. You can use each channel separately to drive two DC motors or combine them to drive one unipolar stepper motor. We also requires a Stepper motor Driver for running the stepper motor. Description of a stepper motor driver: The EasyDriver is a simple to use stepper motor driver, compatible with anything that can output a digital 0 to 5V pulse (or 0 to 3.3V pulse if you solder SJ2 closed on the EasyDriver). EasyDriver requires a 7V to 30V supply to power the motor and can power any voltage of stepper motor. The EasyDriver has an on board voltage regulator for the digital interface that can be set to 5V or 3.3V. Connect a 4-wire stepper motor and a microcontroller and you've got precision motor control! EasyDriver drives bi-polar motors, and motors wired as bi-polar. I.e. 4,6, or 8 wire stepper motors. On this version (v4.4) we fixed the silk error on the min/max adjustment.

Human-machine interface(HMI)
Human-machine interface is the part of the machine that handles the Human machine interaction

Tools used for incorporating the human factors in the interface design are developed based on knowledge of computer science, such as computer graphics, operating systems, programming languages.Our HMI is a Thumb Joystick connected using a Joystick Breakout Board. With a thumb Joystick the following should be designed. When the joystick is in the center and not moving, the motor shouldn't do anything and stop. When the joystick is pressed to the left or right, the motor must move in the respective direction and the further the joystick moves from the center, the faster the speed of the motor must be. So basically left and right movement via the joystick as well as speed adjusting as the joystick moves further from the center pin. Joystick breakout board:This is the breakout board for the thumb joystick. Pins are broken out to a 0.1" header and the board includes 4 mounting holes in the corners.This is where the thumb Joystick is connected.

Base Paper Submitted by

Dany Mathew Sharun Varghese Sanel Alka Nair Aswathy Menon