FAQ

A closed loop controller provides feedback from the motor response after a command is issued to ensure that the motor conducts the desired response, and an open loop controller issues commands with no feedback.

Yes, a traditional six lead motor can be used as a bipolar motor depending on your requirements.
A bipolar driver will have four outputs for the phase wires. Only four lead wires from the six lead wired motor will be used.

Depending on your motor performance requirements, you can connect the motor to run in “half coil” or “series”. Series can be achieved by connecting A to Abar then B to Bbar from the motor circuit to your bipolar driver.

When running in series connection, the rated current of the unipolar motor must be converted to series rated current by multiplying the unipolar rated current by a factor of 0.7
Series Rated Current = Unipolar Rated Current * 0.7.

For half coil connection; A to ANC on Phase A will be used to replace A and Abar, and then B to BNC on Phase B to replace B and Bbar; Current input will remain the same.

Advisory: Whether half coil or series connection is used, it is recommended to take proper precaution to insulate the other two lead wires that are not being used.

Our stepper motors are rated for a case temperature of 80 degrees C, which will be hot to the touch, but will not hurt the motor.

Microstepping increases a motor’s step resolution, and is typically used to allow a motor to run more smoothly and with less noise while not increasing step accuracy.

We recommend a torque safety margin of at least 30%.

Our controllers are programmable through our LinCommand downloadable program. Example programs can be found on the website at www.linengineering.com/resources/download.aspx under the “Manual” section.

Lin Engineering offers IP rated motors, vacuum rated motors, and extreme temperature motors for various different motor environments. We also have our Green Motor line, which runs cooler, uses less energy, and is more environmentally friendly.

There are various wiring and connection layouts that are available on the website: www.linengineering.com/resources/wiring_connections.aspx

Step motors need a step motor driver to operate. The driver will require a pulsed signal for motion and speed control. This source is typically supplied by a programmable controller. You can use other sources such as a function generator to provide this signal. Lin Engineering offers drivers and driver/controllers that include a programmable controller in one unit.

Step motor size usually corresponds with how much torque a motor can output, because a larger motor has room for more turns per coil and therefore more torque. Also, a larger motor generally has more inertia for a closer motor to load match with larger inertia loads.

Step motor size usually corresponds with how much torque a motor can output, because a larger motor has room for more turns per coil and therefore more torque. Also, a larger motor generally has more inertia for a closer motor to load match with larger inertia loads.

Click here for more encoder information

When the motor speed increases, each coil has less time to fill with charge before the current is moved to the next coil. The inductance from the coils creates a back emf and an opposing current to the incoming current trying to fill the coils. Therefore, the current is slowed because inductance, and the faster the current pulses, the less each coil is able to charge. Therefore the torque decreases as the motor speed increases because torque is based off of the amount of charge in each coil.

Voltage pushes the current through the wire, and a higher voltage pushes the current through faster. This is important at high speeds because the current can enter the windings faster and can charge more completely before the current pulse is moved to the next coil.

Our standard motors are rated for an outer temperature of -20 degrees C to 80 degrees C. As long as the operating environment does not cause the motor to exceed these limits, the motor should have no problems. Lin motors can also be modified to run at more extreme temperatures, at a range from -50 degrees C to 180 degrees C.

An increase in current does increase the torque of the motor by the same multiplier. Increasing current generally helps more at lower speeds, as shown in the torque curve below. However, if a motor is run at a current above the rated current, the motor can burn out and be permanently damaged.

Brakes hold the motor shaft in place by locking its position around the motor shaft. A brake cannot be used to slow the motor shaft.

Our round motors have a lower inertia and operate better at higher speeds. Our square motors have higher inertia, provide more torque and operate well at low to mid speeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5618

HIGH TORQUE STEPPER MOTOR
…………………………………………………………

• Ideal for high speed applications
• Cost Effective
• Up to175 oz-in (1.24 N-m) Holding Torque

 

 

 

 

 

 

5718

HIGH TORQUE STEPPER MOTOR
…………………………………………………………

• High Torque
• Cost Effective
• Up to 305 oz-in (2.16 N-m) Holding Torque

You can keep the motor temperature down by reducing the input current, because the heat generation is partly due to the Copper power losses in the wire. The Copper losses are equal to the wire resistance multiplied by the current squared. Mounting the motor to a surface that will provide good heat sinking can help keep temperature down. Adding a fan may also help cool the motor in some environments.

You can supress vibration by adusting the operating current, using microstepping, or using Mechanical or Electrical damping.

The motor might move a little because when the power turns on, the rotor will move until it settles into a stable magnetic position. For a 1.8 degree motor, the rotor will move up to ± 1.8 degrees.

We do not recommend machining the motor shaft because it can impact the bearings and can lower performance by affecting shaft run out and perpendicularity. We offer numerous shaft customizations, so machining on your end is not necessary.

For more shaft options, please click here

Our standard lead wires are 12 inches long, however, Lin Engineering can modify the length of the lead wires depending on your application. However, added length increases resistance which can affect motor performance.

AWG stands for American Wire Gauge, and set the standards for wire diameter. A higher AWG number corresponds to a smaller diameter wire.

Yes, we offer IP65 motors which are 100% dust resistant and protected against low pressure jets of water, and IPX7 motors, which are water submersible for up to 30 minutes.

When too much current or voltage is applied to a motor, the phases might be shorted. Use an ohmmeter to check the resistance of each phase. Check the resistance between Phase A and A Bar. Compare with the resistance between Phase B and B Bar. Be sure to check with the datasheet to ensure there is no more than a 10% difference.

Most step motors are designed for low speed (3000 rpm or less) operation. Once you get into higher speeds, BLDC or servo motors are typically used

The number of steps per revolution is equal to 360 degrees divided by the step angle. Therefore: 0.45 degrees = 800 steps/revolution, 0.9 degrees = 400 steps/revolution, and 1.8 degrees = 200 steps/revolution.

We sell motors with gearboxes, BLDC motors, dampers, RS485 converter interfaces, as well as encoders, drivers, controller/drivers, power supplies, and our Silverpak Line of integrated motors with controls and/or drives.

Every step motor can be wound with more or less coils in order to change its performance characteristics. Thus, if a certain amount of torque is needed at at a certain speed, we can build a motor with the right number of coils in order to maximize your motor’s ability at that speed range. Most importantly, these customized windings come at no additional charge.

Our most accurate motors are the 0.45 degree Size 23 High Accuracy Stepper Motors. Model Numbers for these begin with 5704.

Lin Engineering does not recommend L/R drives or voltage drives, as such drives provide constant voltage. Step motors generate heat during operation, this heat will increases the motor’s resistance. Any change or variation in the resistance of the motor will change the current supplied in a constant voltage drive system.

Step accuracy is the primary character of a step motor. Without step accuracy, the motor is useless. Based on motor manufacturing capability, step accuracy is rated at +/- 5% of the full step. That means a 1.8-degree motor would have step error of +/- 5.4 arc minutes, while 0.9-degree motor would have step error at +/- 2.7 arc minutes. this is because the motor step accuracy is determined by the torque stiffness, and the torque stiffness is determined by maximum holding torque and the number of rotor teeth.A 1.8-degree motor has a 50-tooth rotor and 0.9-degree motor has a 100-tooth rotor. With the same manufacturing capability, a 0.9-degree motor will have twice the step accuracy of a 1.8-degree motor.

Step motor current rating is based on the heat dissipation of the motor and the heat capacity of the coil wire. One of the major causes of heat dissipation in a motor is the Copper loss of the wires. The Copper losses are equal to the resistance multiplied by the current squared, so when the current increases, the heat dissipation/Copper losses in the motor will increase. Therefore, the current rating of the motor must be low enough that it does not cause enough heat dissipation to heat the motor windings beyond their heat capacity, which would melt the insulation off of the wires and damage the windings.

Holding torque is the maximum restoring torque developed by the rotor when one or more phases of the motor are energized. The dynamic torque is called running torque or pullout torque. It varies at different speed by different driver technologies and power input. As a rule of thumb, the maximum dynamic torque is about 70% of the holding torque.

Rated current is the maximum RMS phase current for the motor that won’t damaging the windings at. Peak current refers to the amount of current the driver outputs. When using a 2 phase on driver that only does half or full stepping, the Rated current is the same as the Peak current. (Rated current = Peak Current).When using a driver capable of having 1 phase on at a time or capable of microstepping the definition of Peak current becomes 1.4 times the Rated current. Microstepping drivers are made differently in order to maximize the ability to drive the step motor. Therefore, step motors can handle up to it’s Rated current, multiplied by 1.4. (Peak Current = 1.4 x Rated Current). This will not damage the motor because the power output is more or less the same.Non-microstepping drivers: Peak Current = Rated current. Microstepping Drivers: Peak Current = 1.4 x Rated Current.

1. Speed can be easily determined and controlled by remembering that speed equals steps per revolution divided by pulse rate.
2. A step motor can make fine incremental moves.
3. A step motor doesn’t require encoder feed back ( Open loop ) .
4. Fast acceleration capability
5. Non-cumulative positioning error
6. Excellent low speed/high torque characteristics without gear reduction
7. Holding torque of the step motor can be used to hold loads in stationary position without over heating.
8. A step motor can accurately go to a programmed position without feedback

A “half-coil” motor is a six-lead (unipolar) motor being driven by a bipolar driver. Since bipolar motors only need four wires to run, there are options in connecting a six-lead wire to a bipolar drive. Typically, we refer to the six wires as A, A Bar, A Common, B, B Bar, B Common. Half-coil connection would be to use A, A Common, and B, B Common. (Or A Bar, A Common, and B Bar, B Common). To use”full-coil”, or also known as Series connection, you would use A, A Bar and B, B Bar. For full-coil the two common wires are ignored.

A Full-coil connection (or series) is ideal for lower speeds requiring more torque. Half-coil connection will give an overall amount of torque across a wider range of speeds.

In order to get the maximum output from a motor for a given application, we have to maximize the torque at the operating speed. Therefore, selecting the right speed for the application is very important. Over 1000 pps full step is not desirable if the power supply voltage is less than 12V. High power supply voltage (> 24V) would be necessary if operating speed is selected over 4000 pps full step.

Stalling a motor will not cause it to heat up because a stepper motor does not draw any increased current while being in a stalled position.

There are manuals with instructions and sample programs for each of our controllers under the downloads tab after you select the controller on our website. You can select the desired controller from this link:

www.linengineering.com/products/drivers-controllers/

Yes. You can backdrive one step motor by coupling it to another step motor, and create a generator.

Parallel winding should be used for a high speed and high torque application, and Series winding should be used to optimize torque at lower speeds.

A larger motor size usually corresponds to more turns per coil, increasing the Ampere-turns of the motor and therefore causing more torque. The stator of a larger motor has more room per pole to increase the number of turns per coil.

A step motor can skip steps due to high resonance, high inertia mismatch, or lack of torque.