4. Stepper Motors

In this and the following chapter, the primary concern is motion control—making sure the motor turns with a specific angle and/or speed. This book discusses two types of motors intended for motion control: stepper motors and servomotors. I’ll refer to them as steppers and servos, respectively, and this chapter focuses on steppers.

A stepper’s purpose is to rotate through a precise angle and halt. The speed and torque of the rotation are secondary concerns. As long as the stepper rotates through the exact angle and stops, its mission is accomplished. Each turn is called a step, and common step angles include 30°, 15°, 7.5°, 5°, 2.5°, and 1.8°.

Due to their simplicity and precision, steppers are popular in electrical devices. ...

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