Anyone recognize this motor?

[GOC]

Thank you for the information! Do I have to measure the voltage while the motor is running? Or can I just have the machine on?

Just needs to be on.

[BLKKROW]

Just needs to be on.

I finally had time to open up my machine and found the following:



I presume to measure the voltage I use the GND and VMOT, is this what you would do?

Edit: When I measure the voltage through the above mentioned terminals, I am reading 24 volts. This doesn't sound right.

[GOC]

...
I use the GND and VMOT, is this what you would do?
...

- Yes, that is correct.

...
I am reading 24 volts.
...

- Yes, this is also correct. Seems like your running a 24v setup, which is very nice because they tend to draw less amps. That will however make a lower voltage motor get real toasty for sure. You'll need a motor in like THIS (I don't know this seller; just using as reference).

Edit: Make sure to use the GND that's next to the VMOT when measuring, not the one at the top.

[Mjolinor]

Working voltage on stepper motors in the days of modern electronics is meaningless. The driver circuitry is a current limiting device so no matter what voltage the stepper is rated at it is the current that is controlled.

If your driver circuitry cannot achieve the maximum rated current of the motor then the motor will not produce maximum torque.

[GOC]

Working voltage on stepper motors in the days of modern electronics is meaningless...

- I don't know about that, from my knowledge of motors the winding is specific to the voltage required for optimal operation (hence the motor rating). I gained my some of my stepper knowledge from THIS PDF & THIS PDF. High voltage motor winding's tend to give more running and holding torque.

[Mjolinor]

- I don't know about that, from my knowledge of motors the winding is specific to the voltage required for optimal operation (hence the motor rating). I gained my some of my stepper knowledge from THIS PDF & THIS PDF. High voltage motor winding's tend to give more running and holding torque.

Which is what I said worded in a different way.

If you have 2 stepper motors, one being 12 volt and one being 24 volt but both rated at 2 amps then the power output, at maximum volt and current, of the 24 volt one will be twice the power output of the 12 volt one (assuming the same efficiency).

If you run them from 12 volt then the power output from both motors will be the same because it is the current that is regulated, not the voltage.

In reality the 24 volt one will produce slightly less power than the 12 volt one when running from 12 volt because the magnetising power needed on the 24 volt one will be higher than the 12 volt one but you will not notice a difference in real usage.

In the environment of 3d printers you are unlikely to come anywhere near needing the maximum of any stepper motor no matter what voltage or current it is rated for.

The stepper driver limits the current, it doesn't care what voltage you apply as long as you do not exceed the maximum of the driver circuitry which is around 35 volts for the chip that is most commonly used.

If you set the current to some value less than the V/R value of the system then all that will happen is that the stepper driver will drop the voltage applied to the stepper motor because the stepper motor must obey Ohms law whereas the stepper driver does not obey Ohms law. This is assuming that we are not in the realms of the dynamic impedance of the motor affecting the current flow which we will almost certainly never be with the speeds used in these types of machine.

[GOC]

Which is what I said worded in a different way.

- I'm sorry about that, I misinterpreted your reply. I though it was implying that you could run 24v across a lower voltage stepper motor (ie: 5v) without any efficiency reduction.

[Mjolinor]

- I'm sorry about that, I misinterpreted your reply. I though it was implying that you could run 24v across a lower voltage stepper motor (ie: 5v) without any efficiency reduction.

You can use a 24 volt supply with a 5 volt stepper without any damage at all. This is achieved by regulating the current with the stepper driver adjustment to a value that the 5 volt motor can handle, the stepper driver will regulate the voltage to 5 volts automatically, that is the whole reason to use current controlled drivers.

[GOC]

Good info, I will have to do some playing around with my multimeter. I guess I still got some learning to do.

[Mjolinor]

Assuming the correct motor type, eg: 6 wire, 4 wire, 8 wire then the questions in the correct order are:

Is the motor the right size physically?
Does the motor have suitable torque?
Is the specified current of the motor within the adjustment range of the stepper driver?
Is the specified voltage of the motor lower than or equal to my power supply?