Stepping motors

Jari Kostamo
Outline

• Introduction
• Stepping motor structures
• Properties of stepping motor
• Control of stepping motors
Stepping motor

• Stepping motor is an electromechanical device which

converts electrical pulses to discrete mechanical
translation.
• Axle of the stepping motor turns in discrete steps when
the coils are pulsed with electric current in proper
sequence
• Direction of rotation depends on the sequence of the
pulses
• Angle of rotation is determined by the number of pulses
• Rotation speed is determined by the frequency of the
pulses
Stepping motor

• Typically for small power applications (holding torque in a range of 1 – 1000

Ncm or power less than 750 W)
• Low cost
• Easy to interface with digital control with microcontrollers.
• Precise control without feedback (step angle as low as 0,5 o)
• Can be used with feedback
• Stepping rated possible up to 40 kHz (drive) or 3 kHz (pull in freq)
• Dynamical properties are only moderate due to the operating principle
• Can lose steps when loaded heavily
• Operating range may contain problematic areas
• Achieved position is not perfectly precise but the motor can be displaced with
a small torque.
• Operating is slightly shaking
• Audible noise due to the stepping
Stepping motors
• Typically 12, 24, 72, 100, 144, 180
or 200 steps per revolution (equal to
30, 15, 5, 3.6, 2.5, 2 or 1.8 degree
step angle).
• With microstepping even 10000
steps per revolution can be
achieved.
• Unipolar and bipolar motors.
• Open control is used if losing steps
does not cause critical problems.
 Magnetic circuit
• Translation in stepping motor is produced by
magnetic forces
• Magnetic circuit is generated with coils
• Magnetic field strength depends on the
nuber of ampere turns, current and geometry
• Inductance of the coil creates an opposing
voltage proportional to the rate of change in
current.
– Inductance has a tendency to limit the chages in
current.
• Larger voltages are needed if rapid changes
are desired.
 Current control
Pulse width modulated control (PWM)
• Efficient and modern way to control
currents of the motor coils is PWM
– PWM amplifier, chopper, switched
mode amplifier...
• Transistors are rapidly switched on
and off
• ON-state has low resistance – OFF
state has high resistance
– Yields to small losses
• Current is defined by the proportion
of the ON and OFF states
• Can be implemented with uC
• Dedicated circuits available.
Stepping motors

Permanent magnet motor Reluctance motor Hybrid motor

Variable reluctance stepping motor; VR motor
Kenjo, T., Stepping motors and their
microprocessor controls
Permanent magnet stepping motor; PM motor

Kenjo, T., Stepping

motors and their
microprocessor
controls
Hybrid stepping motor

Kenjo, T., Stepping motors and

their microprocessor controls
Linear stepping motor Parker

• Functional principle
similar to hybrid motor,
2D motions possible

2D stage: Baldor
Stepping motor control example Full stepping
(Kirjasta Bolton, Mechatronics)

A1 A2 B1 B2

Half stepping

A1 A2 B1 B2
Half stepping
(Book: Fraser & Milne, Integrated Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
Dynamical properties of stepping motors
Kenjo, T., Stepping
motors and their micro-
processor controls
Holding torque
Kenjo, T., Stepping
motors and their
micro-processor
controls
Settling time

Kenjo, T., Stepping “If vibration at low speeds is an issue, consider the geared types. Not only
motors and their does changing gears increase torque, but also these models improve starting
micro-processor and stopping responsiveness.”
controls
Resonance frequencies

Lawrence & Mauch, Real-Time

Microcomputer System Design

Speed-torque graph
Stepping rate

Typical stepping profile

 Control systems for stepping motors
Lawrence & Mauch, Real-Time
Direct Microcomputer System Design
computer
control

Computer control
with stepping circuit

Computer control with

intelligent indexer
Digital linear actuator