Acknowledgement

The students wish to express their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all the people who
extend their thoughts and time and efforts in the realization and completion of the project.
To their friends and relatives, who in one way or another unselfishly extended their
lenient hands, time motivation and efforts in directing them to work hard and strive more to
develop the system.
To their adviser, Engr. Wilson R. Duldulao for his extraordinary guidance and
encouragement.
To their beloved parents and guardians, who have and provide a lot of the needs
especially moral and financial support towards the success of the project.
To the Almighty God, for His infinite Grace which helped them through their challenges.
For the Fortitude and Wisdom in the completion of the project.

Introduction
A Stepper Motor is a brushless synchronous electric motor that convers digital pulses into
mechanical shaft rotation.
Every revolution of the Stepper Motor is divided into a discrete number of steps, in many
cases 200 steps, and the motor must be sent a separate pulse for each step. The stepper motor can
only take one step at a time and each step is the same size. Since each pulse causes the motor to
rotate a precise angle, typically 1.8, the motors position can be controlled without any feedback
mechanism. As the digital pulses increases in frequency, the step movement changes into
continuous rotation, with the speed of rotation directly proportional to the frequency of the
pulses. Stepper motors are used every day in both industrial and commercial applications
because of their low cost, high reliability, high torque at low speeds and a simple, rugged
construction that operates in almost any environment

Objectives
1. To Design a module for students to use to their experiments.
2. Describe the input and output of the Stepper Motor
3. Describe Data
4. Understand the principle setup and properties of a Stepper Motor
5. Discover the different applications of the Stepper Motor

Importance of the Stepper Motor

A stepper motor is an electromechanical device which converts electrical pulses into
discrete mechanical movements. The shaft or spindle of a stepper motor rotates in discrete step
increments when electrical command pulses are applied to it in the proper sequence. The motors
rotation has several direct relationships to these applied input pulses. The sequence of the applied
pulses is directly related to the direction of motor shafts rotation. The speed of the motor shafts
rotation is directly related to the frequency of the input pulses and the length of rotation is
directly related to the number of input pulses applied.

Materials
Stepper Motor
Single Pull Single Throw Switch 12V Relay
Single Pull Single Toggle Switch
Single Pull Single Switch
Normally Open Push Button Switch
Aluminum Sheet
Copper Wires
Printable Circuit Board
ULN2003AN
PMM8713PT
NE555N
Diode
Capacitors
10 F
1 F
0.01 F
1M Variable Resistor
Resistors
10K
1K

150

Stepper Motor
A stepper motor is an electromechanical device which converts electrical pulses into
discrete mechanical movements. The shaft or spindle of a stepper motor rotates in discrete step
increments when electrical command pulses are applied to it in the proper sequence. The motors
rotation has several direct relationships to these applied input pulses. The sequence of the applied
pulses is directly related to the direction of motor shafts rotation. The speed of the motor shafts
rotation is directly related to the frequency of the input pulses and the length of rotation is
directly related to the number of input pulses applied.
Stepper Motor Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
1. The rotation angle of the motor is proportional to the input pulse.
2. The motor has full torque at standstill (if the windings are energized)
3.

Precise positioning and repeatability of movement since good stepper motors have an
accuracy of 3 5% of a step and this error is non cumulative from one step to the
next.

4. Excellent response to starting/ stopping/reversing.

5. Very reliable since there are no contact brushes in the motor. Therefore the life of the
motor is simply dependant on the life of the bearing.
6. The motors response to digital input pulses provides open-loop control, making the
motor simpler and less costly to control.
7. It is possible to achieve very low speed synchronous rotation with a load that is
directly coupled to the shaft.
8. A wide range of rotational speeds can be realized as the speed is proportional to the
frequency of the input pulses.
Disadvantages
1. Resonances can occur if not properly controlled.
2. Not easy to operate at extremely high speeds.

Open Loop Operation

One of the most significant advantages of a stepper motor is its ability to be accurately
controlled in an open loop system. Open loop control means no feedback information about
position is needed. This type of control eliminates the need for expensive sensing and feedback
devices such as optical encoders. Your position is known simply by keeping track of the input
step pulses.
Stepper Motor Types There are three basic stepper motor types. They are :
Variable-reluctance
Permanent-magnet
Hybrid
Variable-reluctance (VR) This type of stepper motor has been around for a long
time. It is probably the easiest to understand from a structural point of view. This type of
motor consists of a soft iron multi-toothed rotor and a wound stator. When the stator
windings are energized with DC current the poles become magnetized. Rotation occurs
when the rotor teeth are attracted to the energized stator poles.
Permanent Magnet (PM) Often referred to as a tin can or canstock motor the
permanent magnet step motor is a low cost and low resolution type motor with typical
step angles of 7.5 to 15. (48 24 steps/revolution) PM motors as the name implies have
permanent magnets added to the motor structure. The rotor no longer has teeth as with the
VR motor. Instead the rotor is magnetized with alternating north and south poles situated
in a straight line parallel to the rotor shaft. These magnetized rotor poles provide an
increased magnetic flux intensity and because of this the PM motor exhibits improved
torque characteristics when compared with the VR type.
Hybrid (HB) The hybrid stepper motor is more expensive than the PM stepper
motor but provides better performance with respect to step resolution, torque and speed.

Typical step angles for the HB stepper motor range from 3.6 to 0.9 (100 400 steps per
revolution). The hybrid stepper motor combines the best features of both the PM and VR
type stepper motors. The rotor is multi-toothed like the VR motor and contains an axially
magnetized concentric magnet around its shaft. The teeth on the rotor provide an even
better path which helps guide the magnetic flux to preferred locations in the airgap. This
further increases the detent, holding and dynamic torque characteristics of the motor
when compared with both the VR and PM types. The two most commonly used types of
stepper motors are the permanent magnet and the hybrid types. If a designer is not sure
which type will best fit his applications requirements he should first evaluate the PM type
as it is normally several times less expensive. If not then the hybrid motor may be the
right choice.
There also exists some special stepper motor designs. One is the disc magnet motor. Here the
rotor is designed as a disc with rare earth magnets, This motor type has some advantages such as
very low inertia and a optimized magnetic flow path with no coupling between the two stator
windings. These qualities are essential in some applications.
When to Use a Stepper Motor
A stepper motor can be a good choice whenever controlled movement is required. They can be
used to advantage in applications where you need to control rotation angle, speed, position and
synchronism. Because of the inherent advantages listed previously, stepper motors have found
their place in many different applications. Some of these include printers, plotters, highend office
equipment, hard disk drives, medical equipment, fax machines, automotive and many more.
The Rotating Magnetic Field When a phase winding of a stepper motor is energized with current
a magnetic flux is developed in the stator. The direction of this flux is determined by the Right
Hand Rule which states: If the coil is grasped in the right hand with the fingers pointing in the
direction of the current in the winding (the thumb is extended at a 90 angle to the fingers), then
the thumb will point in the direction of the magnetic field. The rotor then aligns itself so that the
flux opposition is minimized. In this case the motor would rotate clockwise so that its south pole
aligns with the north pole of the stator B at position 2 and its north pole aligns with the south

pole of stator B at position 6. To get the motor to rotate we can now see that we must provide a
sequence of energizing the stator windings in such a fashion that provides a rotating magnetic
flux field which the rotor follows due to magnetic attraction.
Pulse Generator NE555N
These devices are precision timing circuits capable of producing accurate time delays or
oscillation. The time-delay or mono-stable mode of operation, the timed interval is controlled by
a single external resistor and capacitor network. In the A-stable mode of operation, the frequency
and duty cycle can be controlled independently with two external resistors and a single external
capacitor. The timer is a popular and easy to use for general purpose timing application from
10s to hours or from <1MHz to 100Khz in the time-delay mode of operation, the timed interval
1s controlled by a single external resistor and capacitor network.
Sequencer PMM8713PT
PMM8713PT is a gate array IC (HIC) to control the 2-Phase stepping motor drive. It is
developed for the purpose to further simplify 2-phase stepping motor use, as combined only with
switching elements or power hybrid ICs to configure a 2-phase stepping motor driver. The
sequencer also acts as a controller of the pulses generated by the pulse generator. When a
selected switch is toggled on, the sequencer uses the right pulse and repeats it to make a
continuous pulse with the right frequency for the driver.
Driver ULN2003A

500ma Rated Collector Current (Single Output)

High-Voltage Outputs 50V

Output Clamp Diodes

The ULN2003A is a High Voltage, High-current Darlington transistor arrays. It consists

of 7 NPN Darlington pair that features High-Voltage outputs with common-Cathode Clamp

Diodes for switching inductive loads. The collector current rating of a single Darlington pair is
500maA. The Darlington pairs can be paralleled for higher current capability. Applications
includes relay drivers, Hammer drivers, Lamp drivers, Display drivers, Line drivers, and Logic
Buffers.
The ULN2003A have a 2.7 K series base resistor for each Darlington pair for operation
directly with 5v CMOS devices.
Step Modes
Stepper Motor Step Modes include Full, Half, and Microstep the type of step mode
output of any stepper motor is dependent on the driver.
FULL STEP Standard hybrid stepping motor have 200 rotor teeth, or 200 full steps per
revolution of the motor shaft. Dividing the 200 steps into the 360 of rotation equals a
1.8 full step angle. Normally, full step mode is achieved by energizing both windings
while reversing the current alternately essentially one digital pulse from the driver is
equivalent to one step.
HALF STEP Half step simple means that the step motor is rotating at 400 steps per
revolution. In this ode, one winding is energized and then two windings are energized
alternately, causing the rotor to rotate at half the distance, or 0.9. Although it provides
approximately 30% less torque, half-step mode produces a smoother motion than fullstep mode.
MICROSTEP- Microstepping is a relatively new stepper motor technology that controls
the current in the motor winding to a degree that further subdivides the number of
positions between poles. Microstepping is typically used in application that require
accurate positioning and smoother motion over a wide range of speeds. Like the half-step
mode. Micristepping provides approximately 30% less torque than Full-step mode
Stepping Modes

The follo9wing are the most common drives mode

Wave Drive (1 phase on)

Full step drive (2 phase On)

Half Step Drive (1 & 2 phase on)

Microstepping (continuously varying motor current)

In wave drive only one winding is energized at any given time. The stator is energized
according to the sequence A-B--B and the rotor steps from position 8-2-4-6. Unipolar
and Bipolar wound motor with the same winding parameters this excitation mode would
result in the same mechanical positions. The disadvantage of this drive mode is that in the
unipolar wound motor you are only using 25% and in the bipolar motor only 50% of the
total motor winding at any given time. This means that you are not getting the maximum
torque output from the motor

Manual
Parts:
1. Stepper Motor
2. Main Switch
3. Start
4. Stop
5. Step
6. A
7. B
8. C
9. Speed
Operation Steps:
1. Connect the Power Plug
2. Turn on the Main Switch
3. Press the Start Button to start the motor
4. Toggle the Step Switch to start the rotation of the motor
5. Choose Between the Following switches
Step Microstep
A

- Half Step

- Full Step

- Reverse

6. Turn the Speed knob to adjust the speed according to the desired speed
NOTE: DO NOT TOGGLE all the toggle switches at the same time. This will
cause the motor to malfunction.

Observation
At first we were unsure what to expect from a stepper motor because it was our first time
to encounter that kind of motor. We thought that the stepper motor was broken because it didnt
spin very fast and sometimes it looks like it was lagging. Little did we know that those were the
characteristics of a Stepper Motor. We researched what are the characteristics of the stepper
motor and we found out that it was slow but it leads to its advantage which is that it is accurate.
It is used for accuracy. Then next hurdle that we face was that the ULN2803 keep on heating up
and afterwards gets broken every time we use it even in a short period of time. We realized that
its rated current was 1.2A which is way above the current that ULN2803 can handle which is
only 500mA. We thought of ways on how to lower the current or amplify it without over heating
the IC. We made a Current Booster circuit. It didnt work. Finally one of our group mates had an
Aha! Moment and realize the simple solution of putting resistors at the output of every IC before
the Motor. It worked like a charm. The motor worked perfectly and IC didnt overheat anymore.
After which we started to observe the other behaviors of the Stepper motor. When we switch on
Step the motor starts stepping by about 0.5. We also used the speed adjuster to adjust the
speed of the motor. After which we turned on A which had a bigger stepping angle, as well as
B while C reversed the rotation of the Motor. We also noticed that you cant turn on the
switches at the same time. It will make the motor vibrate.

Conclusion
Like the DC motor, the Stepper motor has advantages and disadvantages. The Stepper Motors
construction makes them ideal for applications where precise movement is required. They are
easily integradable into systems and made to meet specifications. The methods of series
resistance, gearboxes and voltage regulation are generic. They may be broken down into
electrical and mechanical categories, which provide the advantage of two methods toward a
solution. The rotation angle of the motor is proportional to the input pulse and the motor has full
torque at standstill. Precise positioning and repeatability of movement since good stepper motors
have an accuracy of 3-5% of a step and this error is non-cumulative from one step to the next. It
has excellent response to starting/stopping/reversing. It is also very reliable since there are no
contact brushes in the motor. Therefore the life of the motor is simply dependant on the life of
the bearing. The motors response to digital input pulses provides open-loop control, making the
motor simpler and less costly to control. It is possible to achieve very low speed synchronous
rotation with a load that is directly coupled to the shaft. A wide range of rotational speeds can be
realized as the speed is proportional to the frequency of the input pulses. Yet it is also has More
complicated driving algorithm and motor driver circuit is needed. Resonances can occur if not
properly controlled which happened to us when all the switches are turned on. And Not easy to
operate at extremely high speeds. The use of a motor is always dependent on the application. If
you need fast rotations it is better to use DC motors but if you dont need speed but need
accuracy, precision, and torque, it is better to use a Stepper Motor