CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1          Background of the Study

Microcontroller based stepper motor control is an electronic device which transfers control to an attached object and drives it towards a particular direction in stipulated steps as specified by the microcontroller, depending on control input signals from the controller, the stepper motor can be caused to exhibit various effects through specified mode of operation. It is applied in electromechanical devices were precise or specific angular movement is being addressed.

The project aim is to witness the application of stepper motor on devices attached to it, there by experimenting the movement with the help yielded by this motor. With the aid of control input buttons, specific directive signals are being set up to activate the stepper motor which now transfer control to  objects/device attached.

The experiments portrayed by this project are achieved using the control software found in the microcontroller.

1.2          Objective of the Project

       The Objectives of this project are as follows,

•      To design and implement a stepper motor controller by programming the microcontroller with sequence of actions to carry out as at when due

•      To design and implement a stepper motor drive or power circuit

•      To design and develop stepper motor base experiments to serve as laboratory work for students of tertiary institution

•      To interface the stepper motor controller to the stepper motor drive using opto isolators to protect digital circuits from power circuits

•      To test the system by performing all the designed experiments with it.

1.3          Justification of Project

The conventional motor (AC/DC) spin continuously, with the AC motor having two parts which are the outside stationary stator and an insider rotor while the stepper motor moves one step at a time, if we command a stepper motor to move some specific number of steps, it rotates incrementally that many number of steps and stops. Because of this basic nature of a stepper motor, it is widely used in low cost open loop position control system. Open loop control means no feedback information on about the position is needed. This eliminates the need for expensive sensing and feedback devices such as optical encoders. In this project, the position is known simply by keeping track of the number of input step pulses. This fact simply entail that the aim of this project was actualized.

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