Motor Control:

Stepper Motors, DC Motors,

PWM Control
Tom Rethard
CSE 3442
 Stepper Motors
❖ Motor Moves Each Time a Pulse is
Received
❖ Can Control Movement (Direction and
Amount) Easily
❖ Can Force Motor to Hold Position Against
an Opposing Force
❖ Used in Dot Matrix Printers and Robotics
 Construction
❖ Permanent Magnet Rotor
– Also Called the Shaft
❖ Stator
– Surrounds the Shaft
– Usually Four Stator Windings Paired with
Center-Tapped Common
◆ Known as Four-Phase or Unipolar Stepper

Motor
 Construction (con’t)
❖ Center Tapped Common
 Moving the Rotor
Unstable Stable

Rotor will ALWAYS seek a stable position.

 Moving the Rotor

Standard 4-Step Sequence

CW # A B C D
1 1 0 0 1
2 1 1 0 0
3 0 1 1 0
4 0 0 1 1 CCW
 How It Works

Step 1: 1-0-0-1

1
0
0
1
 How It Works

Step 2: 1-1-0-0

1
1
0
0
 How It Works

Step 3: 0-1-1-0

0
1
1
0
 How It Works

Step 4: 0-0-1-1

0
0
1
1
 A Little Code, Please
while (1)
{
PORTB = 0x66; // 1001 1001
MSDelay (100);
PORTB = 0xCC; // 1100 1100
MSDelay (100);
PORTB = 0x99; // 1001 1001
MSDelay (100);
PORTB = 0x33; // 0011 0011
MSDelay (100);
}
❖ NOTE: There’s no need to double the sequence, but you have to
send 4 bits at one time, so you lose the whole 8 bit port. Might as
well send something!
 Half-Step 8-Step Sequence

Step # A B C D
1 1 0 0 1
CW
2 1 0 0 0
3 1 1 0 0
4 0 1 0 0
5 0 1 1 0
6 0 0 1 0
7 0 0 1 1
8 0 0 0 1 CCW
❖ Moves ½ step each time
 Wave Drive 4-Step Sequence

CW # A B C D

1 1 0 0 0

2 0 1 0 0
CCW
3 0 0 1 0

4 0 0 0 1

❖ Weaker Than Normal 4-Step Sequence

 Holding Torque
❖ “With the motor shaft at standstill or zero rpm condition,
the amount of torque, from and external source, required
to break away the shaft from its holding position. This is
measured with rated voltage and current applied to the
motor.”
 Next Question:
How Far Does It Move?
❖ Step Angle
– Arc Through Which Motor Turns With ONE
Step Change of the Windings
– Varies With Model of Stepper Motor
– Normally in Degrees
❖ Steps per Revolution
– Steps per Revolution = 360/Step Angle
 And Again: How Fast?
❖ Steps per Second
– Maximum Speed With Which You Can Move the
Motor
❖ Revolutions per Minute (RPM)

60× Steps per Second

rpm =
Steps per Re volution
How Many Teeth?
 How Many Teeth?
❖ One Tooth = One Full Cycle of Movements
– Four-Steps = 1 Tooth
❖ Teeth per Revolution
– What’s a Revolution Without Teeth?

Steps per Re volution

Number of Teeth =
Steps per Tooth
 More Specs
❖ Drive System
– Unipolar
– Bipolar
– Universal
❖ Voltage
❖ Phase Resistance
❖ Current Draw
Common Stepper Motor Types
 Drivers
❖ May Need a Driver Circuit
– Same Problem as Relays – May Draw Too
Much Current
❖ Types
– Transistor Drivers
◆ Usually a Darlington Pair

– Darlington Arrays
– Can Build It Yourself
Using
Transistors
for Stepper
Motor
Driver
Wiring It Up
Controlling Stepper
Motor via Optoisolator
 DC Motors
❖ Only One Winding
❖ Two Connections: + and –
❖ Reversing Polarity Reverses Motor
❖ Move Continuously
❖ Cannot Determine Position
 Characteristics:
❖ RPM
– No Load: Maximum RPM With No Load on Shaft
◆ Given in Data Sheets

– Loaded: Actual Maximum When Loaded

◆ Not in Most Data Sheets

❖ Voltage Range
– Speed Increases With Voltage on a Given Motor
❖ Current Draw
– Data Sheet Rating Is With Nominal Voltage and No Load
– Increases With Load
❖ Speed Decreases With Load
DC Motor Rotation
(Permanent Magnet
Field)
 Bi-Directional Control
❖ Can Change Polarity With a Little Work
❖ H-Bridge Is Simplest Method
– Uses Switches (Relays Will do)
Basic H-Bridge Motor
Configuration
Basic H-Bridge Motor
Clockwise Configuration
Basic H-Bridge Motor
Counterclockwise
Configuration
Basic H-Bridge OOPS
 Another Way
❖ Use the L293 Chip
– Quadruple Half-H Driver Chip
– Gets HOT
– Need a Heat Sink for Continuous Operation!
– Two TI Versions
◆ L293: 4.5-36V, <= 1 A

◆ L293D: 4.5-36V, <= 600 mA

– Really Should Use Optoisolators as Well

Bidirectional Motor
Control With L293 Chip
 Controlling Speed
❖ Speed Depends On
– Load
– Voltage
– Current
❖ Can Control Power By Changing
(Modulating) Width of Pulse to Motor
– Wider Pulse  Faster Speed
– Narrower Pulse  Slower Speed
❖ Note: Doesn’t Work With AC Motors
– AC Motor Speed Depends on AC Frequency
(CPS)
Pulse Width Modulation
Comparison
DC Motor Connection using
a Darlington Transistor
DC Motor Connection using
a MOSFET Transistor
 PWM Control with CCP
❖ We Will Cover This Later – Read Chapter
15 for Details