STEPPER MOTORS

Group 8
Dela Cruz • Oscillada • Pineda • Rabacca • Rillo
What is a Stepper Motor?
• Brushless synchronous motor which rotates
at a specified angular step
• Can divide a full rotation into different
number of steps
• Does not require any feedback mechanism
Basic Construction
stationary portion made up of
electromagnets; contains windings

permanent magnetic rotating shaft

where the rotor spins

connector
Basic Operation

Input: Stepper Motor

Electrical Rotates at a
Load
Pulses Specified Step
angle
Basic Operation: Electrical Pulses
• Frequency
– Dictates the Speed of rotation

• Sequence
– Dictates the Direction of rotation

• Number of Inputs
– Dictates the Length of rotation
Basic Operation: Step Angle
• Angle through which the motor shaft
rotates
• Expressed as a function of the rotor
and stator poles where:
(𝑁𝑠 − 𝑁𝑟 ) ß = step angle
𝛽= ∙ 360°
𝑁𝑠 ∙ 𝑁𝑟 Ns = number of
stator poles
• Motor shaft speed is dependent on the Nr = number of
step angle rotor poles
𝛽∙𝑓 f = frequency
𝑛= 𝑟𝑝𝑠
360
Basic Operation
Basic Operation: Stepping Modes

• Wave Drive
• Full Step Drive
• Half Step Drive
• Microstepping
Stepping Mode: Wave Drive
• One winding is energized at a time
Stepping Mode: Full Step Drive
• Two windings are energized at a time
Stepping Mode: Half Step Drive
• Combination of Wave drive and Full step drive
Stepping Mode: Microstepping
• A phase is not fully on or fully off
• Sine waves applied to Phase A and Phase B are
90ᵒ out-of-phase
 Basic Operation: Speed-Torque
Torque and speed
Torque produced at rest
values that the
motor can run

Note: Torque is
directly
proportional to
the current and
number of turns
Amount of load that in the winding
can start, stop or
reverse instantly
Basic Operation: Speed-Torque Ideal VS
Actual
Basic Operation: Vibrations
• “Ringing” occurs in every step that the motor takes
Basic Operation: Vibrations
• At the natural
frequency (200Hz),
wilder vibrations
occur
• Chances of missing
steps is higher
Basic Operation: Vibrations
• To compensate for the vibrations:
– Avoid the 200 Hz speed
– Decrease the step size
Step Motor Systems

• Open Loop System • Closed Loop System

Two-Phase Stepper Motors
• Unipolar Stepper Motors
• Bipolar Stepper Motors
Two-Phase Stepper Motors

1. UNIPOLAR STEPPER
MOTOR
Unipolar Stepper Motor
• Center tap added between the two leads
• Unidirectional current flow in each ½ winding at a time
Unipolar Stepper Motor: Operation
• Center tap connected to either ground or voltage source
Two-Phase Stepper Motors

2. BIPOLAR STEPPER
MOTOR
Bipolar Stepper Motor
• Each lead is taken separately
• Bi-directional current flows through entire winding at a time
• Allows each stator pole to be magnetized to North or South
Bipolar Stepper Motor: Operation
Unipolar Motor Bipolar Motor
• ½ winding • Entire winding
Unipolar Motor Bipolar Motor
• ½ winding • Entire winding
• Thinner coil wire • More complex circuitry
winding
Unipolar Motor Bipolar Motor
• ½ winding • Entire winding
• Thinner coil wire • More complex circuitry
winding
• May be configured to
use as bipolar motor
Types of Stepper Motors
• Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor
• Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor
• Hybrid Stepper Motor
Types of Stepper Motor

1. PERMANENT
MAGNET STEPPER
MOTOR
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor: Construction
• Rotor is a permanent
magnet
• Stator teeth are
polarized windings
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor: Operation
• The permanent magnet rotor will follow the opposite polarity
stator
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor: Operation
• Step angle for permanent magnet stepper motor is
360°
𝛽=
𝑚𝑟 ∙ 𝑁𝑠

Where
𝛽 – step angle
mr – number of poles in the rotor
Ns – number of stator phases
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor: Operation
• Permanent magnet stepper motor with half step motion
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor: Operation
• More pole pairs will increase the resolution but
decrease the step angle
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor
• Advantages
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor
• Advantages
– Can hold torque when winding are not energized
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor
• Advantages
– Can hold torque when winding are not energized
– Higher torque than Variable Reluctance Stepper motor
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor
• Advantages
– Can hold torque when winding are not energized
– Higher torque than Variable Reluctance Stepper motor

• Disadvantage
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor
• Advantages
– Can hold torque when winding are not energized
– Higher torque than Variable Reluctance Stepper motor

• Disadvantage
– Steps are larger than Variable Reluctance Stepper motor
Types of Stepper Motor

2. VARIABLE
RELUCTANCE STEPPER
MOTOR
Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor: Construction
Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor: Construction
Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor: Operation
Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor: Operation
Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor: Operation
Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor: Operation
• Full Step Rotation
Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor: Operation
• Half Step Rotation
Variable Reluctance Stepper Motor: Operation
• Step angle for variable reluctance motor is
360°
𝛽 =
𝑚𝑠 ∙ 𝑁𝑟

Where
𝛽 – step angle
ms – number of stator phases
Nr – number of rotor teeth
Sample Problem: Step Angle
Example:
For a three- phase, four rotor teeth stepper motor, what
is the step angle?

Answer: 30 degrees
Types of Stepper Motor

3. HYBRID STEPPER
MOTOR
Hybrid Stepper Motor

What’s the Difference?

The Hybrid Stepper Motor is the best of both worlds
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Construction
• Permanent Magnet Rotor
• Rotor Teeth
• Stator Teeth
• Windings on
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Construction
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Construction
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Construction
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Construction
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Operation
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Operation
A A A B B B

A’ A’ A’ B’ B’ B’
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Operation
A A A B B B

A’ A’ A’ B’ B’ B’
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Operation
A A A B B B

A’ A’ A’ B’ B’ B’
Hybrid Stepper Motor: Operation
Comparison Table
Variable
Characteristic Permanent Magnet Hybrid
Reluctance
Cost Cheapest Moderate Most Expensive
Moderately
Design Simple Complex
Complex
Resolution 30̊ - 3 ̊/step 1.8 ̊/step and smaller
Less pronounced
Torque VS Speed -- torques at higher --
speed
Noisy no matter
Noise quiet what type of quiet
excitation
Full, Half, and Typically Full Full, Half, and
Stepping
Microstepping step only Microstepping
Stepper Motor Driver Circuits
• Stepper motor operation dependent on indexer an driver
• Indexer feeds pulses to driver
• Driver applies power to corresponding motor windings
• Number of rate pulses determine seed, direction, and
amount of rotation
Driver Circuit: Damping Methods
• Improves damping and noise characteristics of motor
• Reduces torque at high pulse rates
Driver Circuit: L/R Driver
• Constant voltage drive
• Current applies torque
to motor shaft
• Compensation for L/R
Driver Circuit: Chopper Driver
• Constant current drive
• Higher torque and speed
for the motor than L/R
driver
• Requires additional
electronic
General Advantages of Stepper Motors
General Advantages of Stepper Motors
• Relatively inexpensive
General Advantages of Stepper Motors
• Relatively inexpensive
• Ideal for open-loop positioning control
General Advantages of Stepper Motors
• Relatively inexpensive
• Ideal for open-loop positioning control
• Torque handling compared to DC motor
General Advantages of Stepper Motors
• Relatively inexpensive
• Ideal for open-loop positioning control
• Torque handling compared to DC motor
• Positioning applications with wide range of speeds
General Advantages of Stepper Motors
• Relatively inexpensive
• Ideal for open-loop positioning control
• Torque handling compared to DC motor
• Positioning applications with wide range of speeds
• No contact brushes, low maintenance
General Advantages of Stepper Motors
• Relatively inexpensive
• Ideal for open-loop positioning control
• Torque handling compared to DC motor
• Positioning applications with wide range of speeds
• No contact brushes, low maintenance
• Typical 3-5% precision, with non-cumulative error
General Disadvantages of Stepper Motors
General Disadvantages of Stepper Motors
• Torque VS Speed relationship
General Disadvantages of Stepper Motors
• Torque VS Speed relationship
• Resonance and noise at high speed
General Disadvantages of Stepper Motors
• Torque VS Speed relationship
• Resonance and noise at high speed
• Low efficiency and accuracy
General Disadvantages of Stepper Motors
• Torque VS Speed relationship
• Resonance and noise at high speed
• Low efficiency and accuracy
• Rough performance at low speeds unless you use
microstepping
Common Applications of Stepper Motors
Common Applications of Stepper Motors
Common Applications of Stepper Motors
End of Presentation

OPEN FOR
QUESTIONS
References
• Application/Advisor: Motors. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from
http://www.netmotion.com/htm_files/adv_motors1.htm
• Orientalmotor. (n.d.) Basics of Stepper Motor. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from
http://www.orientalmotor.com/technology/articles/stepper-motor- basics.html
• Industrial Circuits Application Note. (n.d.) Stepper Motor Basics. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from
http://solarbotics.net/library/pdflib/pdf/motorbas.pdf
• Theraja, A.K. & Theraja, B.L. A Textbook of Electrical Technology
• http://www.digikey.com/~/media/Images/Article%20Library/TechZone%20Articles/2011/October/PSoC%203%20Stepper
%20Motor%20Control%20with%20Precision%20Microstepping/article-2011october-an56551-fig4.jpg
• http://www.digikey.com/~/media/Images/Article%20Library/TechZone%20Articles/2011/October/PSoC%203%20Stepper
%20Motor%20Control%20with%20Precision%20Microstepping/article-2011october-an56551-fig4.jpg
• http://www.microchip.com/stellent/groups/SiteComm_sg/documents/DeviceDoc/en543047.pdf
• http://www.microchip.com/stellent/groups/SiteComm_sg/documents/DeviceDoc/en543047.pdf