Stepper Motor System Basics Tutorial

Stepper Motor

Motor turns a mechanical screw which "steps" a drive's actuator-arm, one-track-at-a-time to the specified read/write position. You can hear a soft "buzz" or "beep" each time the motor turns the screw, on-off, on-off... moving the actuator-arm's read/write head track to track. A motor that has known detent positions where the rotor will stop with the proper control in some cases. The digitally controlled motor moves the head positioner from track to track in small, step-like motions.

Stepper Motor Systems Overview

• Introduction

Stepping Motors

• Types of Stepping Motors
• Variable Reluctance
• Permanent Magnet
• Hybrid

Motor Windings

• Unifilar
• Bifilar
• Step Modes
• Full Step
• Half Step
• Microstep
   

Design Considerations

The electrical compatibility between the motor and the driver are the most critical factors in a stepper motor system design. Some general guidelines in the selection of these components are:

• Inductance
• Series, Parallel Connection
• Driver Voltage
• Motor Stiffness
• Motor Heat

Drivers

• Driver Technology Overview
• Types Of Stepper Motor Drivers
• Unipolar
• Resistance Limited (R/L)
• Bipolar Chopper

Indexers

• Indexer Overview
• Stand-Alone Operation
• Integrated Control
• Multi-Axis Control

Also see: Stepping Motor Physics Tutorials