Using a stepper motor in place of DC motor for constant rotation

1

Hi all,

I am looking at making a small turn table type device that will have its rotation controlled via 2 push buttons, one for CW and the other CCW.
My questions is this; Can I uses a stepper motor to generate a constant speed rotation whilst one button is active as apposed to using a standard dc motor?

Cheers

Lachlan

2

You sure can, @Lachlan23633! Steppers are great for an exact amount of rotation, and exact rotation speed.

Using the Arduino stepper library, check out their Stepper Speed Control example. You’ll be using switches to set the speed instead of a pot, but the idea is the same.

3

Yep, a stepper motor will do the treat, although depending on the speed, it may not be as smooth as a standard DC motor. You could also fit a brushed DC motor with an encoder to measure rotation and control it via a PWM channel. Just food for though :slight_smile:

4

Thanks guys,

I thought as much but wanted to 100% sure before spending any money :relaxed: