First I would lie to say im a complete novice at automation but I need to learn!
I would like to interface a project with a stepper motor using the original encoder sensor signals to drive this motor (a pic of the encoder and sensor below) Im not sure what type of encoder this is im still researching and reading about encoders. the sensor has 5 total wires via a flat cable. this set up is in a printer that I would like to convert to a flatbed to print edible ink. I have seen this done on various commercial machines using the same exact printer. what I noticed is they keep the original motor just cutting the original drive shaft down and it still runs but a stepper is interfaced and uses the encoder signals to drive the stepper. In addition I would like to add a program to load the flatbed into start position and maybe an eject also… I need a starting point, when I contacted an automation reseller (stepper and stepper drives) they said they would need to now the voltage and signal type… I did find a voltage for the photo sensor in the service manual which is 3.3v but I have no idea how to find out the signal type? Any information or ideas anyone one would have to get me going in the right direction would be appreciated. thanks in advance!
Thank you so much for the fast response… I will get there!
can you elaborate on the signal? how many different signal types are there? Again please excuse my novice questions I guess you have to start some where.
I know the encoder sensor (pictured in the previous post) has a flat cable plugged to it and it looks if it powers the photo sensor also as a red led lights on this sensor when powered. here are some rudimentary tests I have did on this sensor so far with a voltmeter. If you look at the picture and on the circuit board of the sensor you will see 3 solder pins on top and two underneath the three. here is the voltage readings I get thus far from left to right on the top 3 (.1st solder pin) reads 0.01v (.2nd solder pin) reads 3.5 v (3rd solder pin) reads 0.01
here are the bottom two solder pins (under the 3 top pins) they read (#1.) .08 v (#2.) 3.5 volts I noticed when I rotate the encoder wheel manually these two pins fluctuate voltage going from low to high … another point is the 2 pins are never the same at rest if one side is 3.5 volts the other is .08 and they can switch by rotating the encoder manually (with the printer power on… All these tests were with the meter ground wire to the printer chasis and the red lead on each of the pins…
maybe this can shed some light on what type of encoder this is and send me further in the right direction…
once the system is employed I would like it to be running self contained so im assuming I will need a separate power supply and the driver/ micro controller will stay with the unit (not running from a usb from the computer)…
thanks for your patience for those laughing at my novice explanation… I really want to learn this and buy the correct stuff for the application the first time thanks again…
As I start researching this further… I think this is what im after. I would like the stepper motor to follow or do exactly what the ender does in this video youtu.be/2dh6TIkN6jE … I will need this to be a stand alone unit (not connected to a usb to power the components… A few concerns is do I need an external 12-24 power supply including the micro controller and possibly a driver? it will need to stay with the machine… lots of questions…
I will have to learn the programming code for the micro as I go as well… what would be the most reliable components for the application with the simplest code system to learn?
Usually, printers will use TTL signals, in your case, it seems to be 3.3V TTL. You will need to use a 3.3V microcontroller (or other type of interface) to read the encoder signals: RB-See-220 or RB-Phi-94.
Also Arduino would be the simplest microcontroller to learn. You could use this book to get started: RB-Ing-12
You will for sure need to powerr your motor and microcontroller with either a battery or a wired DC power supply. The required voltage will depend on your motor and microcontroller choice.
Do you know how may pulses per second your encoder is generating at its max speed? If it’s less than 5,000-10,000, you should be able to read it properly with an Arduino. You might however need to optimize your Arduino sketch to work properly at that speed…
The PIC microcontrollers are another series of well-known microcontrollers in the hobbyist / novice community. We’re not directly familiar with their QEI features and it’s not all versions of the PICs that have it. Out of our selection of PIC microcontrollers, the following one seems to be the only one that supports this feature:
Both the BigEasy series and the Pololu 8-35V 2A Single Bipolar Stepper Motor Driver A4988 are great stepper motor drivers that can indeed be used with any type of controller that is able to output (at a minimum) a step and a direction signal at the right speed: in your case, both the Arduino and PIC should be properly compatible.
Im not sure what the pulse per second is, however I spoke with a fellow who did a similar conversion and he stated the frequency of pulses were to high for the arduino even with simplified code. he stated he worked at the arduino for a several months with poor results then switched to a pic but also recommended atmel with QEI and the discovery board forget the chip #…
I will do some further research, as I would like to use something with an easy program platform like the arduino. still new to this and a lot to learn.
After hooking it up. I noticed that the arduino may not be the correct micro controller to use for this project. my encoder count is high with about a 2 3/4 diameter and fairly quick at some points on eject etc. I had issues with getting an accurate encoder count using several different programs it will not be a consistent count/read and it seems the arduino is not fast enough. I tried various debounce programs and it didn’t yield any better result. almost like its missing steps or something
It was recommended that I should use a microcontroller with QEI quadrature encoder interface that has noise filter etc like a pic? what is your take on that microcontroller?. can i use the same program the arduino uses and would a micro with the QEI (qaudrature encoder interface make my life any easier with this project :smileyhappy: Can you explain the benefit of this system and could i still interface it to output to a stepper driver for step and direction with a driver like the big easy driver or pololu that uses the a4988 alegro chip? sorry for so many questions but i have to start somewhere :smileyhappy:
After further researching I have discovered there are motor shields available. can you recommend one for a stepper motor/ single axis. Additionally will the shield configuration allow me to run an interrupt based encoder following sketch? Im looking to run a nema 17 motor with about a 2-3 volt coil rating and my power supply will be a 24 volt or can be 12v…
but I need to learn!
thanks again…