Stepper Motor

• A stepper motor (or step motor) is a brushless synchronous electric motor that can divide a full rotation into a
large number of steps.

“ A motor whose rotation is produced by switching signals to suitably connected windings in some
predetermined sequence to produce uniform angular steps of rotation is called Stepper Motor”

• These motors are also called Stepping Motors or Step Motors.

• The name is used because this motor rotates through a fixed angular step in response to each input current
pulse received by its controller.
• The unique feature of a stepping motor is that its output shaft rotates in a series of discrete angular intervals or
steps, one step being taken each time a command pulse is received.
• The stepping motor therefore allows control of the loads velocity, distance and direction.
• In a stepper motor, when a definite number of pulses are supplied, the shaft turns through a definite known
angle. This fact makes the motor well-suited for open-loop position control because no feedback need be
taken from the output shaft.
• A significant advantage of the stepping motor is its compatibility with digital electronic systems. These systems
are becoming increasingly common in a wide variety application and at the same time are becoming both more
powerful and less expensive.
• Such motors develop torques ranging from 1 µN-m up to 40 N-m. Their power output ranges from about 1W to a
maximum 2500W.
 Stepper Motor
Step Angle (Step Length):
• Then angle through which the motor rotates for each command pulse is called step angle 훽
• Smaller the step angle, greater the number of steps per revolution and higher the resolution or accuracy of
positioning obtained.
• The step size can be as small as 0.72o or as large as 90o. But the most common step sizes are: 1.8o, 2.5o, 7.5o,
and 15o.
• The value of step angle can be expressed either in terms of the rotor and stator poles (teeth) N rand N s,
respectively or in terms of the number of stator phases, m, and the number of rotor teeth.

• Resolution is given by the number of steps needed to complete one revolution of the rotor shaft.
• Higher the resolution, greater accuracy of positioning of objects by the motor

• A stepper motor has the extraordinary ability to operate at very high stepping rates and yet to remain fully in
synchronism with the command pulses.
 Stepper Motor
Step Angle (Step Length): (Contd.)
• When the pulse rate is high, the shaft rotation seems continuous. Operation at high speed is called “Slewing”
• If f is the stepping frequency (or pulse rate) in pulses per second (pps) and 훽 is the step angle, then motor shaft
speed is given by

Problem: Calculate the stepping angle for (a) a 3-stacks, 16 tooth rotor VR stepper motor, and (b) a 3-phase, 24-
pole PM stepper motor.

Problem: A hybrid VR stepping has motor 8 main poles which have been castellated to have 5 teeth each. If rotor
has 50 teeth, calculate the stepping angle.
 Stepper Motor
Problem: A stepper motor has a step angle of 2.5o. Determine (a) resolution, (b) number of steps required for the
shaft to make 25 revolutions and (c) shaft speed, if the stepping frequency is 3600 pps.

Problem: What is the required resolution of a stepper motor that is to operate at a pulse frequency of 6000 pps and
travel 180o in 0.025s.
Answer:
Given stepper motor travels 1800 in 0.025 sec. So to complete one revolution, stepper motor needs 0.025X2=0.05
sec.
Since 6000 pulses sent to the motor terminal per second, the resolution is the number of pulses to complete one
revolution.
So, resolution = 6000X0.05=300 steps/revolution
 Stepper Motor
Applications:

• Such motors are used for operation control in computer peripherals, textile industry, IC fabrications and robotics

etc.

• Applications requiring incremental motion are typewrites, line printers, tape drivers,

• floppy disk drivers, numerically-controlled machine tools, process control systems and X-Y plotters.

• Usually, position information can be obtained simply by keeping count of the pulses sent to the motor thereby

eliminating the need for expensive position sensors and feedback controls.

• Stepper motors also perform countless tasks outside the computer industry. It includes commercial, military and

medical applications where these motors perform such function as mixing, cutting, striking, metering, and

blending.
 References
[1] B. L. Theraja, A. K. Theraja, “A Textbook of ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY in SI Units Volume II, AC & DC Machines”,S.
Chand & Company Ltd., (Multicolour illustrativeEdition).

[2] A. F. Puchstein, T. C. Lloyd, A.G. Conrad, “Alternating Current Machines”, © 1942, Asia Publishing House, Third Edition
(Fully revised and corrected Edition 2006-07).

[3] Jack Rosenblatt, M. Harold Friedman, “Direct and Alternating Current Machinery”, Indian Edition (2nd Edition), CBS
Publishers & Distributors.

[4] A. E. Fitzgerald, Charles Kingsley, Jr. Stephen D. Umans, Electric Machinery, 5thEditionin SI units, ©1992 Metric
Edition, McGraw Hill Book Company.

[5] Irving L. Kosow, Electrical Machinery and Transformers, Second Edition, Prentice –Hall India Pvt. Limited.

Acknowledgement
Ahmed Mortuza Saleque