Project: Stepper motor controller

[Alberto]

If you need moving a unipolar stepper motor then try this project.
Very compact, up to 2A current per coil and command via serial link.
It can work in a serial network with individual code address.
Trapezioidal travel, with ramp;speed and steps commands.
Needs switches for limits travel and homing.

Hope you will like it.

Edited: Feb 14th, 2010

Instead to post the updated files, I am replacing the original with the updated version, to avoid confusion and make the download easier.


Alberto

[Muhammad Saad Khan]

How can we use this motor if we input it's steps with a keypad like 2 or 3 e.t.c, as a result; it takes these steps.

[mik3]

Alberto,

Where did you find the software which sends signals to the serial port?

[Alberto]

I coded in Visual Basic.

Alberto

[mik3]

That is interesting. Is it easy to create the graphics? I have some knowledge about C++ but I think it is hard to create graphics.

[Alberto]

Mik3, I don't understand at what kind of graphics you are thinking. Could you please give me more details.

Alberto


Muhammad Saad Kan, you connect the board to the serial port and than you send the following command : 1st byte board address ; 2nd byte command; 3rd and 4th bytes contains number of steps (3rd=low byte; 4th=high byte).
Download the zip file and open it, then please read the pdf file to understand how the communication take place.

Alberto

[mik3]

What I mean is that when you open the software you created a window appears where the commands etc are shown. How did you create this window?

[Alberto]

Now, I understand what you ment. Yes in VB (which is an object oriented programming language) is very simple to create nice application.

Alberto

[mik3]

Is the window ready and you just plug in the colour, the text (commands) and so on?

[Alberto]

Yes, what you call window in VB are objects, and every oject has his own properties. Color, fonts; fontsize, enable; disable, visible, not visible, witdth, top, lenght, hight, etc, are all properties and can be changed

Alberto

[mik3]

That's nice. Do you know if C++ has similar objects like VB? Is the code which sends signals to the port easy?

[unomi]

For C++ you need a windowing toolkit.
If you want something like wysiwyg
gui for building windows (normally called 'forms').

you can download a free trial of borlands c++ builder at :
http://www.codegear.com/downloads/free/cppbuilder
if you are working on windows.

MS visual studio ofcourse also supports drag and drop building of forms.
http://www.microsoft.com/express/product/default.aspx
And their express editions are also free.

Enjoy,
unomi

[unomi]

actually, this looks pretty interesting:
http://wiki.codeblocks.org/index.php?title=Wxsmith_tutorial:_Working_with_ite ms

it is a WxSmith plugin for the codeblocks IDE
http://www.codeblocks.org/

opensource, multiplatform and free

[Alberto]

The attached zipped file contain the hex file for the update to MK2 for the stepper controller published in post#1.
More torque available and better positioning profile. Full step mode uses dual coils excitation technique.

Just replace the previuos version no changes in the hardware.

Enjoy

Alberto

PS for more projects visit my blog http://techni.caliti.es/blog/

[rasha louy]

i want to explan about servomotor programing using PIC

[Alberto]

i want to explan about servomotor programing using PIC

rasha louy, I am sorry, but cannot understand your question.

Alberto

[stevencovert]

I need to control a couple steppers using a PIC18. Don't need to re-code something thats been done many times!

Thanks!
Steve

[Alberto]

Steve, let me know which pics you will use and I will post the code for them.

Code posted in post# 14 will work with 16F84A with other pics series there is the pins compatibility and the ADC and comparator to disable.

Alberto.

[beho2000]

Great THANKS 2u