Tag Archives: stepper motor

Stepper Motor Control – AVR Tutorial

Stepper motors pairs nicely with a smart device like a microcontroller to create precise digitally controlled movements that has made possible many of modern gizmos around us. For example a printer, scanner, plotters, fax, floppy drive (not so modern though!), automatic industrial machines like CNC (Computer numerically controlled) drills, laser shows etc. Though to a naked eye the motor of stepper look no other than a DC motor but the difference is that each step of a stepper motor is in control. For example a high speed desktop printer when the paper moves forward, to a novice it seems like a motor is just pushing the paper out but in reality the control board inside the printer request the motor to move the paper exactly same amount that has been printed. This precise movement keeps the next printed pixel in alignment with previously printed pixels. The thing is that the stepper motors have certain amount of steps per full 360 degree rotation (exact number depends on model) the controller can request the stepper to rotate any number of steps. For example if you are making a robot, you want it to move exactly as per your program. Like if you say go forward 100cm then rotate right 45 degrees and move forward 50 cm. You cannot do this with DC […]