I've been looking at stepper motors and ways to have a motor rotate an object, and was curious if Arduino would be the way to go. Here is what I'm trying to achieve:
I want a motor to only have 360° of rotation. It can only have this much because otherwise wires might get tangled up. It also needs to go slowly and turn with the push of a foot pedal. Basically, push a foot pedal and that in turn rotates an object either forward or backward in a silent manner.
Is this possible (and if so, how) with Arduino? Can I use one to power a motor for specifically this purpose?
Is this possible (and if so, how) with Arduino? Can I use one to power a motor for specifically this purpose?
Yea it's possible, but not with the arduino alone. You will of course need a motor shield that can drive the stepper. There are also some good libraries in the Arduino Playground that you might want to check out, like the Adafruit Motor Controller or even the Arduino Motor Controller.
Here is another library that works with almost all third party motor controllers. Stepper
Would you recommend this for both price (I've seen how expensive stepper motor setups are) and ease of use compared to any alternatives? I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to programming and things like this. I know the general concepts and ideas, but not any of the specifics.
And will I be able to rotate larger objects? Does an Arduino setup allow me to connect to a larger motor?
How large is a large motor? This HERE is a motor controller that can deliver up to 43 Amps, however the forth link I posted is rated for 2 Amps. How much power/torque do you need?
I'm looking at a video and it seems it can, but I'd say a maximum of 10lbs. I don't feel like calculating torque since I don't know specifics (but this seems so convenient because I'm currently studying engineering and we just got introduced to torque calculations), but around 10lbs.
I tried a stepper motor before but was a bit confused, not just on making it rotate but also adding in the foot pedal. So right now I'm looking for a cost effective way to practice getting the electronics down before I build what I'm trying to build.
Hmm, I never thought about that. Since you seem like you know a bit about this, and I don't, do you have any kits you'd recommend to practice/test what I'm specifically trying for (the stepper motor)? Plus that way it comes with everything since I know I'll forget something if I order everything separately . . .
If you want to test right away, you can check Radio Shack. They have arduino boards, some kits and a motor controller that can drive a good size stepper. The drawback is it can be pricy, but you could probably find the exact same parts online for a LOT less, but you will need to wait however long.
Nothing in your original messages indicates a design need to use an Arduino at all. A very simple DC motor can do this with a very simple foot switch. There would be no electronics of any kind.
But, of course, and Arduino can do more things, such as giving you speed control. Although, even then there are other non-Arduino methods.
Still, sometimes you want to do a project with an Arduino as a learning exercise to learn more about the Arduino.
One more comment about the motor itself. A lot also will depend upon how heavy your load is, and the speed you want for it to turn. Note that, in general, DC motors need to turn fairly fast, such as 5,000 RPM. So, they need significant gearing down for slow movement. A stepper can be turned very slowly, though it tends to "cog" and jump into specific increments unless you are doing "microstepping". But, regardless, you are unlikely to be able to get away without some sort of gearing.
But would Arduino be easier? See, my thing is ease of use and size really. I haven't found good help for a normal motor for what I want, but I know (and have obviously seen) Arduino has a big database of help and tutorials online.
So yeah, I couldn't find that LED thing you were talking about (maybe I don't know how to search for it though), but found some kits. Overall, I'm thinking this will be easier to learn to program and eventually implement, correct? When compared to a straight stepper motor? Are any of these good enough kits to try out (hopefully kinda similar to my purpose)?
You can probably find those exact kits on eBay for a lot less.
The LED trick is just 4 LEDs wired to the stepper port/pins. So instead of a stepper plugged into the port, you have 4 LEDs coming out going to ground. This will show you your sequence as you increase the speed. And instead of a pedal, you can use a potentiometer.
