I'm using an Arduino-controlled DC motor with a gear reducer for a project. I understand that reducing motor speed by lowering the PWM duty cycle effectively decreases the average voltage applied to the motor, which in turn reduces its current draw and intrinsic torque. My question is: if I slow the motor down using PWM (i.e., lower the duty cycle) and then use the same gear reducer, will the output torque be higher compared to running the motor at full voltage (full speed) and then applying the same gear reduction?
In other words, does operating the motor at a reduced PWM level—and then multiplying that lower torque through a gear train—yield more or less effective torque than maintaining full voltage at the motor (to preserve its torque capability) and relying solely on mechanical reduction to achieve the desired output speed?
Any insights, theoretical explanations, or practical experiences would be greatly appreciated
You are delivering/using less energy so, less torque when you slow it down.
With a gear, it's a trade-off between speed and torque with the same amount of energy, excet minus whatever is lost in the friction of gears.
...Unrelated to your question but a transformer is like a gear mechanism, trading-off between voltage & current. Power supplies are built with transformers so if you're getting 12VDC at 1A from a power supply you're only pulling about 1/10th of an amp from a 120V wall socket.
I moved your topic to an appropriate forum category @rn_karki .
In the future, please take some time to pick the forum category that best suits the subject of your topic. There is an "About the _____ category" topic at the top of each category that explains its purpose.