Hey everyone.

Im working on a project that requires me to make a stepper motor driver that will go forward and reverse automatically. Im hopeing to have it adjustable as far as controll over rpm, and time between switching from forward to reverse, and back again. If at all possible I would also like to have it able to dwell between forward and reverse cycles, also adjustable. If anyone could help me out, it would be much appreciated. Looking for schematics of some sort.

 

Is this an assignment for a robotics class?

As far as the stepper motor, you didn't give any specifications.
What is it's current and voltage ratings, or power ratings, and/or the windings resistance?
Is it a bipolar (4 wire) unipolar (5 or 6 wire) type motor, or might it be a BLDC motor?

 

No this isnt for any sort of class or anything. Just a project

Im a beginner, not sure on the full specs of the motor I have, it has 8 wires coming out of it. thats all I know. I would be willing to find a different motor if required. It was labled as 9volt stepper motor.

 

Use a resistance meter and check the wires to find which ones go to each winding. Also you will find out how many windings you have and if they are center tapped. If the motor DOES have a label, then use the model number in a google search box, along with "stepper motor". This should get you some info on the motor.

 

With 8 wires, it'll be a universal type stepper motor. That means it can be wired as a bipolar motor in series or parallel, or a unipolar motor in series or parallel.

If you have a part number and manufacturer, that would be a big help.

Sometimes, wires on those types of motors are colored to help in getting the pairs and polarities right, like red and red w/white, green and green w/white, etc.

If not, you'll have your work cut out for you trying to figure out which wires are connected to what, and then in what order to wire them to get the motor to step.

 

6 and 8 wire steppers can be used as EITHER bipolar or unipolar.

5 wire motors can ONLY be used as unipolar

4 wire motors can ONLY be used as bipolar

 

I googled the numbers that are on it, with no success really.

the numbers are just printed in black directly on the metal.

front-960398-002 07
back-4321


wire colours are as follows
-red
-black
-green
-orange
-white
-blue
-violet
-(blank)
- grey

Like I said, I only picked up this motor to basically experiment with, if you guys think I should pick up a different type of motor, not a problem.

Ill test the resistences and whatnot shortly. If I have to tinker with it for a little to figure out what wires go where, and what order. I can live with that.

 

wire colours are as follows
-red
-black
-green
-orange
-white
-blue
-violet
-(blank)
- grey

Google "8-wire stepper" and you will be on your adventure.

This guy is an expert on step motors; he literally wrote the book.
http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/step/types.html
He gives a procedure for identifying the windings in an 8 wire motor.

In addition, the attached document helped me a tremendous amount.

I am presently playing with a unipolar step motor and I find them easier to understand and to control than bipolars.

Good luck.

 

great thanks.

any ideas for the circuits I would need to perform the above mentioned procedure though?