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General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: PerranOak on December 16, 2018, 02:53:41 pm

Title: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: PerranOak on December 16, 2018, 02:53:41 pm
Why is it that half of all projects in mags, examples on the Internet and pre-built boards (eBay, etc.) are related to motors?

What is it that so many people do with these motors once they've gained control of speed/direction of four/five/six motors?  :-//
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: Domagoj T on December 16, 2018, 04:21:56 pm
3D printers, laser engravers, egg drawing machines...
Possibilities are endless.
I made a model train elevator.
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: PerranOak on December 18, 2018, 02:43:43 pm
Ah.
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: saike on December 18, 2018, 06:42:29 pm
An oldie but still good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umEr8vSDdHA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umEr8vSDdHA)

I have had my neighbour asking what the noise is coming from the back yard workshop.
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: PerranOak on January 06, 2019, 10:40:30 am
Excellent stuff.

Still … why is there so much resource devoted to them?

I guess that what I don't really know is what do most people (hobbyists) actually make? Maybe I should do a survey? Can you do that on this forum?
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: coppercone2 on January 06, 2019, 10:50:03 am
what other high power objects are useful?

induction heaters seem to get old pretty quick. there are lights too but most people don't need high power lights.

usually automating human behavior, which is one of the main appeals of control systems, to save time and energy, the requirement is to move something.
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: soldar on January 06, 2019, 11:08:49 am
3D printers, laser engravers, egg drawing machines...
Possibilities are endless.
I made a model train elevator.
CNC lathes, CNC routers, CNC shapers, CNC anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVc1Zd2682A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVc1Zd2682A)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAZei3wpBe0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAZei3wpBe0)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLdlV3-JaH8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLdlV3-JaH8)
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: beanflying on January 06, 2019, 11:21:29 am
I have a bunch in use within 5m of me on gear plus a couple of projects I am tinkering with.

3x 3D Printers - 13, 2 x CNC Routers - 7, Laser Cutter - 2.

Opening and closing an Air Gate on my coffee roaster via a custom Arduino based controller I am working on is one of them at present. Likely to add a second for another part of the process. The Stepper is just a small part of the system but fairly straight forward to add using off the shelf drivers and some adapted pre written code.

Another secret squirrel project that may fail horribly so it won't get a mention YET ::)

Steppers and Drivers are cheap as are the basic motion rails, bearings, screws etc. It has opened up possibilities for all sorts of automation that was beyond hobbyists budget only a few years ago. Think of anything you want to position in XYZ and then create then system to do it.

EDIT: Only recently found This Old Tony great content :-+
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: coppercone2 on January 06, 2019, 11:27:49 am
how do you cope with mechancial tolerances and surface finish when you work, being a electrical engineer, the specifications of mechanical devices infuriate me.

a modern surface grinder has a stiffness of like two hundred thousand ksi, but on some level it still looks like a wet spaghetti noodle dangling in the wind. lathes cause things to deform because of centripetal force. cutters clang around. when you zoom in a surface finish you consider good looks like mount everest.

 :scared:
Title: Re: Stepper motors / motor controllers Infatuation
Post by: soldar on January 06, 2019, 11:37:34 am
Only recently found This Old Tony great content :-+
Yeah, besides the content the guy is quite a comedian. I would watch them even if just for the entertainment value.