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Small Arduino USB Stepper Motor - Need Help

Former Member

I'm overwhelmed by all the stuff out there for building this small project, and I am very unsure of what I need to buy.

 

1. First Question. What kind of motor?

 

I only need the motor to make one complete rotation, both forwards and backwards, and able to make the smallest micro movements, it can run on the smallest of power, as it won't be doing much but making slight movements in timed sequences.

 

2. Second Question. What Arduino board do I use?

 

The motor will be controlled by a computer, so I'm thinking USB cable would be the best connection.

 

3. Third Question. What software and program options do I have?

 

I want to be able to create different programs for turning the motor, that can repeat if I want them to, or take a program and make it random so it stays constantly changing.

 

4. Fourth Question. I need to hook the motor to a small knob, how do I do it, what do I use?

 

The motor is going to turn a knob on a small hand held unit, so I'm thinking of replacing the knob with a type of gear and adding the same to the small stepper motor and connecting them with a belt.

 

 

I've been searching for a few weeks, and I would hate to buy several motors, several gears, several boards, and still end up with a bunch of junk that does nothing. I really need this and I need it to work.

 

I'm thinking it might be easier just to hire someone that knows what they are doing.

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  • 0

    hi Jason

    even i am a beginner and am trying to learn and understand electronics 

    few days backs i was playing around with my arduino uno r3 kit ( ordered for US$ 29 )

     

    it came with this 5V  stepper motor ( part number  28BYJ- 48 ) ( easily found on ebay and very cheap )

    the same can be found with 12V

    imageimage

    i found this motor very easy to use and control using arduino uno r3 

    • Speed Variation Ratio ： 1/64
    • Stride Angle ： 5.625° /64
    • one complete rotation is 4096 steps 

     

     

    this motor needs a ULN2003 Driver Board which is again very simple to use , understand and even make yourself

    it can be very easily found on ebay for very cheap ( around US$ 2 )

    image

    you will find the set for less then US$ 5 on ebay

     

    connection of the driver board with arduino is also simple just the 4 pins for the arduino which are set in the program will connect to the in1 in2 in3 and in4 

    you have to connect 5V or 12V (depending on the motor ) and ground to the driver board as the motor doesnt run safely on power from arduino

    the 5V motor does run but i have found people saying its not safe 

     

    the program required to run the motor can be found in the examples in the arduino software  its very easy to understand, the program is written with explanation so you can just read through, the program can be modified to do exactly what you want maybe add a switch maybe add a sensor

    it just takes 3 4 hours (as a beginner) to get used to it 

     

    you can also read the link below it has the details about the motor andthe driver board and an example program which can also be used on arduino

    http://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/Stepper_Motor_5V_4-Phase_5-Wire_%26_ULN2003_Driver_Board_for_Arduino

     

    hope i was helpful

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    sahil

    They are indeed a very good basic stepper and driver board.

    Because of the gearing, have good output torque and low current, but the driver board is very limited.

     

    Many other boards have half-step/micro-stepping and motor current limiting.

    This helps protect both the motor and your load.

     

    Steppers can be pulsed to stop at any position, but it always assumes that every pulse results in movement.

    If the load is greater than the stepper torque, it can easily result in getting out of sync.

     

    You can use an encoder, which will confirm it moves, or a 'home' position to reset every revolution.

    A geared motor can be controlled but needs to have an encoder, which will give the ability to stop at a known position.

     

    mark

  • 0 in reply to mcb1

    oh ok image thanks

    ok so u mean the motor is good but i got to find a better driver

    could u please suggest me a drive which will do good with the motor

    is it possible that i can make the arduino do the encoders work aswell, or can u tell me how can i use the encoder ( connections with the motor and the uC ) or maybe a link where i can find it

     

    thank you very much, i appreciate all the tips and info  image

  • 0 in reply to Former Member

    sahil

    For your purpose, there is nothing wrong with the board.

    Its something to be aware of when using/developing bigger projects.

     

    Re budget

    There is nothing wrong with your choice of supplier, however do bear in mind the forum is provided by element14, so suggestions to others to use xyz is not always a good idea.

     

    If your budget is limited, then your choices are limited.

    It is still worth noting that sometimes you get the same, other times you get less, so YOU may need to do more research to find the answers.

     

    Luckily someone invented a search engine called Google, which becomes very useful, even to more experienced people.

    This search thing is very useful to find answers to what you're doing, as the chances are someone else has done a lot of it before you.

     

    In my experience, I've always found that searching out the answer has resulted in remembering the answer, and often lead to a better understanding, than someone telling me the answer.

    So before asking, try the examples, find code that might suit, or at the least show you've attempted it.

     

    mark

  • 0 in reply to mcb1

    i understand and also agree to what your saying 

    thank you very much image

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