stepper motor!

Stepper Motor Defined

• A stepper motor is a type of motor designed for small precise movements. Unlike other electronic motors, which turn continuously, a stepper motor divides each rotation into a number of individual steps. A stepper motor can also stop at any step, locking whatever it is turning in place.

Stepper Motor Design

• In the middle of a stepper motor is a free-spinning rotor connected to a metal gear. The gear is surrounded by electromagnets with metal teeth. These teeth are near the teeth of the gear, but they never actually touch it. They are, however, instrumental in running the motor.

Running the Motor

• When one of the electromagnets is turned on, it creates a magnetic field that tugs on the gear in the middle. This makes that gear rotate slightly, pulling its teeth so they line up with the teeth of the electromagnet. This magnetic field also holds the motor still in the new position. To rotate the motor one step, the stepper controller turns off the first electromagnet and turns on the second one. When the first electromagnet is on, the teeth of the rotor gear are slightly offset from the teeth of the second electromagnet. When the second magnet is turned on, the motor has to rotate slightly, turning one step. To take a second and third step, the controller will turn on the third and then the fourth electromagnet. To rotate completely, a stepper motor might take more than 100 steps