A previous article (Standard Step-Motor Driver Interface Limits Performance) on step-motors berated open-loop stepping and the desperate methods used to avoid missed steps and acceleration limitations ...

Stepper motors divide a full rotation into hundreds of discrete steps, which makes them ideal to precisely control movements, be it in cars, robots, 3D printers or CNC machines. Most stepper motors ...

Step motors are a natural choice when design specs call for low-cost automation with accurate, open-loop control. But finding the right stepper for a given application can be a challenge. There’s a ...

When you think about highly-precise actuators, stepper motors probably aren’t the first device that comes to mind. However, as [Diffraction Limited]’s sub-micron capable micro-manipulator shows, they ...

In a recent article, I wrote about step-motor system performance emphasizing key concepts that all engineers need to understand about this widely-used electro-magnetic-mechanical digital actuator. As ...

Several different styles of stepper motors in different NEMA sizes. CNC machine centers offer many benefits over manual machining such as greater productivity, precision production, and reduced labor ...

Sometimes less is more. Here, a quarter-step switching logic sequence for stepper motors offers several significant advantages over full-and halfstep modes—higher resolution, smoother drive, minimal ...

When it’s time to specify a high-performance motor that offers both precise positioning and cost efficiency, stepper motors offer many advantages over DC motors thanks to their brushless technology.

Here's a simple algorithm that uses conventional microcontroller blocks to control commercially available H-bridges to properly commutate a bipolar stepper motor through a microstepping profile.

When applying step motors, designers need to consider several factors, including output torque, rotor inertia, step angle, and speed. Having already discussed the effects of torque and inertia (August ...