Hey guys,
I was doing a couple of tests today to see if it was really a backlash problem.
So I changed the ball screw arrangement to one with a 1mm pitch. So, the mechanical setup is supposed to move a distance of 1mm/200steps = 5 micrometer per one full step.
Following is the testing pattern which I did.
I moved the motor Forward 3 times and then moved the motor Backward one time. Each of those times, I moved the motor 'X' number of steps in a single shot, where X = 5, 10, 100, 500, 1000 steps. Testing pattern is as shown in the diagram below.
Notice the positions A, B, C, D and E. I connected the linear encoder and measured the position in each of the cases. I repeated the test for each 'X' case, multiple times and recorded the average of the readings. Data is as shown in the table below. All readings are in mm.
I would assume backlash error is the difference between Postion E and Postion C.
Backlash errors seem to be constant for X =10, 100, 500, 1000 but for X = 5, Backlash seems to be more.
Shouldn't the backlash error be same for X= 5 steps as well. Or is there something else at play here? Or is the issue not even related to backlash?
"I think" is not reassuring, consider that motor current is such an important parameter for a properly functioning system.
It is set at 1A.