MECHATRONICS LAB

ME 140L
INTRODUCTION TO STEPPER MOTORS

http://www.stepperworld.com/pgTutorials.htm

Step motor: each pulse of signal turns the motor one step—electromagnetic
device that converts digital pulses into mechanical rotation.

I. BASIC COMPONENTS: STEPPER MOTOR SYSTEM

• Computer—command signal
• Indexer—outputs the correct number of pulses and alters frequency
(accelerate, constant speed, decelerate)
• Phase logic—takes pulses from indexer and determines which phase of
motor should be energized (low level power supply—5V)
• Power amplifier has the transistor set to energize the phases (has high level
power supply—24V)

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A. Basic Construction and Operation
• Rotating rotor
• Stationary stator
• Switching circuits
Consider a 3.6° stepper motor with 4 stator electromagnets and a 25-tooth rotor
⎛ 360o ⎞ 14.4o
—teeth are separated from each other by ⎜ ⎟=
⎜ 25 teeth ⎟ tooth
⎝ ⎠
• The top electromagnet (1) is charged, attracting the topmost four teeth of
the rotor.
• The top electromagnet (1) is turned off, and the right electromagnet (2) is
charged, pulling the nearest four teeth to the right. This results in a
rotation of 3.6°=14.4o/4

• The bottom electromagnet (3) is charged; another 3.6° rotation occurs.

• The left electromagnet (4) is enabled, rotating again by 3.6°.
• When the top electromagnet (1) is again charged, rotors moves 3.6°
• Takes 4 switches (steps) of stator to rotate one tooth position (3.6o*4=14.4o )
—since there are 25 teeth, it will take 100 steps to make a full rotation

⎛ 4 steps ⎞⎛⎜ 360o ⎞⎟ 100 steps

⎜⎜ ⎟ =
o ⎟⎜ revolution ⎟ revolution
⎝ 14.4 ⎠⎝ ⎠

B. Types of Stepper Motors

Variable Reluctance
Permanent Magnet
Hybrid

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1. Variable Reluctance Stepper Motors

Reluctance: magnetic analog to resistance but no energy dissipation

• Stator winding pairs are energized sequentially thereby magnetizing
poles.
• Soft-iron-core rotor teeth—attracted to magnetic fields of the stator
windings. Magnetic flux seeks the lowest reluctance path through a
magnetic circuit—magnetic rotor will move to minimize the length of
any reluctance air gap.
• Has ‘teeth’ on rotor and stator

4-phase stator (4 pairs of

coils) and 6 pole rotor shown

Consider 4 rotor teeth, 6 stator poles (3-phase: 3 stator winding pairs (1,2,3)
with opposite poles: 60o apart). Note when rotor teeth aligned with one pair of
stator magnets, the other rotor teeth pair is not aligned with the stator magnets)
The stator field rotates in steps of 60 degrees while the rotor moves in 30
degree steps (note energizing from phases 1 to 2 moves rotor 30 degrees
or halfway between poles)—30o stepper motor (12 steps/rotation)

Sequence of applying power to

stator pole windings (assume 1
means power ‘on’, 0 power ‘off’)

For two (24 steps) clockwise rotations—note only one winding on at a given
time
Winding 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1
Winding 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
Winding 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
→ time

See animation:
http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/step/typesf/1anim.html

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2. Permanent Magnet Stepper Motors
• Permanent magnet rotor with multiple rotor windings
• Stator winding pairs (magnetic fields) are energized sequentially

Using the permanent magnet stepper shown above as an example:

• Two stator windings (two phase), each with 24-poles (see ‘fingers’).
Each phase has a north side and a south side. Alternating north-south
fingers attract the permanent magnet rotor.
• When polarity of the phase is reversed, the rotor moves 15o=360o/24. But
since phases 1 (φ-1) and 2 (φ-2) are offset (rotated) by 7.5o from each
other, if phase 1 is energized, followed by phase 2, the rotor will now
move 7.5o.

Simple construction and low cost makes it an ideal choice for on industrial
applications, such as a line printer print wheel.

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3. Hybrid Stepper Motor
Most common—very high resolution: (0.9 o or 1.8o/step)
• Rotor: cylindrical permanent magnet, magnetized along the axis with
radial soft iron teeth
• Stator: coils wound on alternating poles with corresponding teeth.
Typically two winding phases distributed between pole pairs (two
phases—red activates two pole-pairs then green activates two pole-pairs)

Summary: Two-phase 8 pole stator (each phase connected to 4 poles) and

rotor with 48-tooth N and 48-tooth S sections.
• 48-teeth on N rotor section are offset by half a pitch from S section—
effectively producing 96 interleaved poles of opposite polarity.
Allows rotation in 1/96 th of a revolution steps by reversing the field
polarity of one phase.
• Stator teeth on the 8-poles correspond to the 48-rotor teeth so each rotor
pole may align with the stator in 48 distinct positions.
• BUT, the stator poles are divided into two phases (φ-1, φ-2)—two pairs
connected to each phase
• THUS, by alternating stator phases—the rotor moves in 2×96=192 steps
per revolution for the above stepper—1.8o/step

Exhibit high static and dynamic torque and run at very high step rates, and are
used in a wide variety of industrial applications.

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C. Changing Direction of Rotation: Unipolar vs Bipolar Steppers
1. Unipolar: Typically 6 leads, in two triplets for each field (stator) coil
winding

Triplet: a center tap (connected to positive supply voltage) and two ends of
winding are alternately grounded—reversing direction of the field winding
reverses the rotation of the rotor.

2. Bipolar: 4 leads

Changing polarity on same winding requires H-bridge.

See animation: http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/step/typesf/2anim.html

For higher resolutions, the rotor must have more poles or use different stepping
modes.

30o/step, 15o/step, 7.5o/step, 3.6o/step, 1.8o/step, 0.9 o/step

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D. Step Drive Methods (full, half, micro step)
Changes resolution of steps.
Four drive methods—difference in sequencing the stator poles:
• Wave Drive (Full Step)
• 2 Phases On (Full Step) (not described below but increases torque)
• 1-2 Phases On (Half Step)
• Microstep
Consider a 6-lead unipolar stepper motor-30o/step (stator: 4 pole, 2-phase,
permanent magnet rotor: 6 pole)

Motor winding 1 is distributed between the top and bottom stator poles
Motor winding 2 is distributed between the left and right motor poles

1. Wave Drive: Full Step

• Power from center tap of winding 1 to ground causes the top stator pole
to be North while the bottom stator to be South. The rotor is attracted to
the position shown.
• If power in winding 1 is removed and winding 2 is energized, the rotor
will turn one step or 30o.
Using 1 and 0 to denote the polarity of the power applied to each motor
terminal:
24 steps or 2 revolutions.
Winding 1a 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Winding 2a 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Winding 1b 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
Winding 2b 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
→ time
Note only one terminal powered at a time and moves in sequence

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2. 1-2 Phases On (Half Step)
• Energize phase1a. The rotor lines up.
• Keep phase1a on then energize phase2a—rotor is equally attracted to
both and lines up in the middle (15o/step)
• Turn off phase1a but leave on phase2a. The motor moves another step.
• Keep phase2a on then energized phase1b—rotor is equally attracted to
both and lines up in the middle.
• Repeat—by alternating between one phase on and two phases on, the step
angle is cut in half.

Winding 1a 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
Winding 2a 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Winding 1b 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Winding 2b 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0

3. Microstepping: smaller steps—increased resolution

• A phase is not fully on or fully off—it is partially on.

• Sine waves are applied to both phase 1 and phase 2, 90° apart

When maximum power is in phase 1, phase 2 is at zero. The rotor lines up

with phase 1. As the current to phase 1 decreases, it is increasing to phase 2.
The rotor will take tiny steps toward phase 2 until phase 2 is at its max and
phase 1 is at zero. The process continues around the other phases.