Hello, I'm new to this and have some very basic questions. Can I use a Nano or Micro board to control a stepper motor?
The motor will only run at one speed/direction and need to be turned on/off via external switch. Space is limited so I'd like to use a small board.
Thanks, Joel
The answer is yes you can control a stepper motor with a Nano or Micro. You cannot drive (power) a stepper motor with any Arduino. Any stepper motor will need a driver. The appropriate driver depends on the particular stepper.
Please post technical data for the stepper (data sheet, manual, etc.) and we can help to choose a driver.
Like I said, no Arduino can power a stepper. An external power supply with the correct voltage and sufficient current output is required.
Please read the how to get the most from the forum post. The post contains information on what we need to know in order to help you. Following the guidelines will make it easier to get timely assistance.
Thanks for the response. The end goal is to flip the "on" switch and have the gear reducer put out 1 rev./day (.000694 rpm). Flip the "off" switch to shut it down.
I can only put 2 links in this post so the individual product links are here: Rho Ophiuchi over Wheeler Peak | Shot from Great Basin Natio… | Flickr
Thanks, Joel
Stepper motors ONLY deal in steps, not fractions of steps. You have the reduction gears in your hand. How name individual steps will the input to the gears need to make the output make one complete turn in 24 hours?
If I can micro step at 1/16 and there are 400 steps in the motor, that's 400 x 16 = 6,400. The harmonic drive is 1:100, so that's 640,000. 86,400 seconds/day x 640,000^-1 = .135 sec. delay between steps.
This hasn't accounted for the time 1/16 a step takes, though.
They will take close to the same time for each step and has NO bearing on your delay value of 135 miliseconds.
Worry about the actual internal clock of your Arduino and the regulation of the power supply which will effect the oscillator frequency. Be sure you pick an Arduino with a crystal and but several so you can pick the one closest to the desired frequency.
And when you find one closest to your needed frequency, put is in an enclosure with a constant temperature.
How many arc seconds will the sky move between steps?
BTW, the Earth turns closer to 86164.1 seconds per day.
Thanks, the time precision helps.
The rule-of-thumb for not seeing star trails is 400/focal length. The longest lens I'm currently using is 105mm, so 400/105 = 3.8 sec. is the biggest permissible delay. At .135 I'll be 28x better!
I'm currently using this with no problem taking a 2 min. exposure. The company doesn't list the rotation steps so I'm not sure how mine will compare.
This panorama was taken with the 105mm at 2 min. on the Ioptron and is very sharp.
It would be nice to do better but I mostly just like to make my own stuff.
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