[Lab] Fwd: Help choosing a stepper motor

Thu Nov 7 17:08:51 EST 2013

ooups. not cc’d by accident.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Henri Kuschkowitz <henri.kuschkowitz at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Lab] Help choosing a stepper motor
> Date: November 7, 2013 at 5:07:46 PM EST
> To: Aurelius R <maxrowsell at gmail.com>
> 
> Though I’m not actively engaged in this discussion it’s very valuable to me for any future issues with motors I might have myself. Hence, I enjoy being able to track the discussions and would like it to continue.
> 
> 
> Cheers all,
> Henri
> 
> On Nov 7, 2013, at 5:01 PM, Aurelius R <maxrowsell at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Okay, I must admit there are plenty of back-and-forths that I am interested in too. I just wasn't sure if the people who run this list wanted it to be used for ModLab related stuff entirely, or not. Personally I think it's a great way for people to connect and collaborate. But as you said, there's limits, just like in a forum.
>> 
>> Have a great day! (evening)
>> 
>> ____________________
>> Peace, Love, Empathy
>> 
>> Alexander Max Rowsell
>> 
>> 
>> On 7 November 2013 16:59, Richard Sloan <rsloan at themindfactory.com> wrote:
>> I also like seeing what people fully have to say on a project/idea/issue, if all we saw was a HELP message this list would be pretty boring....
>> 
>> Richard.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Thu, Nov 7, 2013 at 4:55 PM, Tom Burns <tom.i.burns at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Considering how low-traffic this mailing list is I personally do not mind hearing the decisionmaking behind which stepper motor to choose.
>> 
>> 
>> On Thu, Nov 7, 2013 at 4:49 PM, Aurelius R <maxrowsell at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hey guys!
>> 
>> I might be in the wrong here, but is this not the type of conversation that would be best carried out off-list? After the initial call for help, of course. It doesn't really bother me that much, but I'm not sure what the list rules are here. Other lists I'm on are against anything not directly on-topic.
>> 
>> ____________________
>> Peace, Love, Empathy
>> 
>> Alexander Max Rowsell
>> 
>> 
>> On 7 November 2013 01:03, Michael Grant <michael at krazatchu.ca> wrote:
>> I'm sure a NEMA 17 size stepper would suit purpose.
>> The EasyDriver is more than capable for this application.
>> 
>> Michael
>> --
>> http://krazatchu.ca/
>> 
>> 
>> On Wed, Nov 6, 2013 at 5:37 PM, Wesley Ellis <tahnok at gmail.com> wrote:
>> My project involves rotating the platform by small increments then checking if there's something in range with an ultra sonic sensor, so a stepper motor where I can move my platform by a fixed amount easily seemed like a better idea than a regular motor and deriving my distance travelled based on how long I had the motor on for.
>> 
>> On Nov 6, 2013 10:22 AM, "Chris de Groot" <cdegroot at adobe.com> wrote:
>> It would be interesting to know how Wesley decided a stepper motor was suitable for your use case.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> There are several of different options.
>> 
>> Stepper Motors are good for very precise control of fairly slow rotation where you may also want to rotate by very precise amounts. They have downsides, they require a lot of electronics and often some software to work, are not that powerful relative to other motors, consume more amps for similar work and are more expensive.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> If you wanted to do something like rotate a platform continuously, even reversing it backwards and forwards, and did not care too much about fine accuracy or specific speeds a regular motor may be something to look at. For example a windscreen wiper motor(from princess auto surplus) is a nice usable package. With a small amount of electronics you can get speed control and backwards/forwards motion.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Consider this simple circuit for a “most useless machine ever” project. Simple and effective http://9x20lathe.blogspot.ca/2010/01/components-and-schematic-for-useless.html
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Speed control is fairly easy with a regular motor. But for a stepper can actually get pretty complex with ramp up and down for starts and stops etc.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> C.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> From: Lab [mailto:lab-bounces at artengine.ca] On Behalf Of Bob
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013 8:05 PM
>> To: Lab at artengine.ca
>> Subject: Re: [Lab] Help choosing a stepper motor
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> As a non-technical person my suggestion may be way off base, but perhaps working with the guts of a scanner would fit the bill. Motor and belt already to go.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Bob
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> From: Lab [mailto:lab-bounces at artengine.ca] On Behalf Of Wesley Ellis
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013 7:28 PM
>> To: Michael Grant
>> Cc: lab
>> Subject: Re: [Lab] Help choosing a stepper motor
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> No, the stepper motor is going to drive a pulley to rotate a platform
>> 
>> On 11/4/2013, 9:52 PM, Michael Grant wrote:
>> 
>> Does the mass need to be lifted against gravity?
>> 
>> Michael
>> --
>> 
>> http://krazatchu.ca/
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> On Mon, Nov 4, 2013 at 9:45 PM, Wesley Ellis <tahnok at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> The mass isn't very heavy (probably 500g) and I don't need the resolution of something like a cnc or 3d printer motor and speed isn't super important
>> 
>> On Nov 4, 2013 9:36 PM, "Michael Grant" <michael at krazatchu.ca> wrote:
>> 
>> The easy driver is for bipolar only, it's a good choice for small steppers (NEMA17).
>> 
>> 
>> There are many choices on eBay as well, about $11 will get you a serious CNC driver for larger steppers (NEMA23).
>> http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Good-CNC-Router-Single-1-Axis-Controller-Stepper-Motor-Drivers-TB6560-3A-New-/251369064893?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a86c389bd
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> What resolution and speed are you looking to achieve?
>> 
>> The mass you are rotating, is it heavy and will you require fast start and stop?
>> 
>> Michael Grant
>> --
>> 
>> http://krazatchu.ca/
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> On Mon, Nov 4, 2013 at 9:22 PM, Wesley Ellis <tahnok at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Hey all,
>> 
>> I'm pretty new to electronics and I'm having trouble choosing a stepper
>> motor for a project I'm working on.
>> 
>> I'm ordering from robot shotp, and it looks like this EasyDriver board
>> (https://secure.robotshop.com/ca/en/sfe-easydriver-bipolar-stepper-motor-driver.html)
>> will let me control whichever motor I end up choosing, but the number of
>> motors on robotshop is pretty intimidating.
>> 
>> I'm going to be spinning a small platform so I don't need a lot of
>> power. Basically, I'm wondering whether I need a bipolar or unipolar
>> motor? What kind of voltage? Amperage? Any help would be appreciated
>> 
>> Wesley
>> 
>> 
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>>  
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>>  
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