Hello,
I am looking for parts suggestion for a stepper motor and a worm gearbox, or alternative designs if my idea is not feasible/suitable. Let me explain what I am trying to do,
I have a project which requires the ability to rotate an aluminum plate (~2 kg weight) between 0 and 90 degrees, and other angles in between. For this, the rotation operation is done slowly and infrequently, so actual rotation speed is not critical. However, I do need to be able to hold the plate in position even in the event of power loss. Thus, I am thinking perhaps a stepper motor coupled with a high reduction ratio (60+:1?) worm gearbox would work. The only other requirement is that the combined system should be reasonably compact, but otherwise do not require any fancy controls.
Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of experience with these units and do not know what parts are suitable or available. I’ve looked into some NEMA 23 motors and worm gears as an example online, but finding ones that fit together has been somewhat of a challenge, strangely enough.
I would appreciate any insights and help on this front, and thank you kindly in advance for any assistance you may provide.
Hey there,
From what I understand, the best kind of motor for your application would be a Servo Motor.
This will allow you to position the motor in a specific angle between 0-90 degrees with a simple controller and code (Arduino)
This Giant Scale Servo would be more than enough for a 2KG plate depending on the size of the plate: https://www.robotshop.com/en/hs-805bb-giant-scale-servo-motor.html?product-code=RB-Hit-32
Note the maximum torque range
Let me know if you need more information concerning Servo Motor.
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Hi Pjutras,
Thanks for taking the time to reply, and apology for the late reply. I had to do some research to figure out the difference between a servo and a stepper motor, but I think I get it now, but correct me if I’m wrong. My understanding is that a servo motor has a fixed range of angular movement, while a stepper can keep going in one direction. Given my need is indeed a fixed angular range, a servo would fit the need and be easier to control. A gear reducer of course cannot be used here, as it would not have enough output angular range when coupled with a servo motor, so I just have to make sure the holding force of the servo is sufficient. That sounds about right?
Would you also recommend a simple to use controller? I would like to test this combination out, so it would be nice to get the whole package.
Again, thank you for taking your time to help, it is very much appreciated.
Hey there!
You’re right, the servo will have a range of angles which can operate and be set. (exception of Continuous Servo Motor and Smart Servo)
The stepper is a really precise kind of motor (mostly used in 3D printer).
Here is the whole selection of Servo Motor Controller that you could use: https://www.robotshop.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=servo+controller&order=relevance&dir=desc
Just make sure the current output is enough to drive the servo
Else, you can start experimenting with an Arduino board, the following tutorial will explain really well how to set things up: https://playground.arduino.cc/Learning/SingleServoExample
Also, make sure that the current drawn by the Servo is not exceeding the current that can be supplied by the output of the Arduino 5V which may go up to 900mA on an external power source and 400mA on USB power.
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