Single shaft stepper motor vs stepper motor with gearbox
Single shaft stepper motor vs stepper motor with gearbox
(OP)
Hello everyone
I am considering between using a 2 phase single shaft stepper motor vs 2 phase stepper motor with gearbox. I know the advantages of the gearbox stepper are as follows: -
1) Torque amplification
2) Speed increase/ reduction ratio
3) Smaller resolution
4) Lower inertia ratio
I wonder whether there is any other differences in terms of accuracy? How accurate is a stepper motor assuming the correct motor is sized? Is the error = 1 step angle?
I am considering between using a 2 phase single shaft stepper motor vs 2 phase stepper motor with gearbox. I know the advantages of the gearbox stepper are as follows: -
1) Torque amplification
2) Speed increase/ reduction ratio
3) Smaller resolution
4) Lower inertia ratio
I wonder whether there is any other differences in terms of accuracy? How accurate is a stepper motor assuming the correct motor is sized? Is the error = 1 step angle?





RE: Single shaft stepper motor vs stepper motor with gearbox
1. Are there any conditions you might forsee when the load is such that the stepper could miss? This includes part jamming, mechanism getting gummed up with crud, etc.
2. What is the worst possible thing that could happen if your motor is not in the position that the control system thinks it is in due to missing steps?
3. Can you add a sensor and hard stop somewhere for a "home" position? Can your mechanism return there often (every cycle?) to verify the stepper position?
etc.
-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)
RE: Single shaft stepper motor vs stepper motor with gearbox
Might interest you that ON Semi now has stepper motor controllers with stall and loss of step detection. This technology came from AMIS and is patented, I believe.
http://w
Benta.
RE: Single shaft stepper motor vs stepper motor with gearbox
Htngwilliam, be careful. The missing step detector is not a substitute for position feedback.
Among other things, it works only at constant speed, maybe only at maximum speed (I'm fuzzy on that), and not at all when ramping speed.
Steppers mostly lose, or even gain, steps, when ramping speed, so the feature may not be all that useful despite its cool factor.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Single shaft stepper motor vs stepper motor with gearbox
Different manufacturers will have different steps.
Different stepper drives will have different resolutions.
This all assumes, as you say, motor is properly sized. If properly sized, then the assumption is no missed steps.
Then the engineering starts to kick in: if your resolution (for example) is 1/3000th of a revolution, how much does that affect your process?
TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering
www.bluetechnik.com