I'm currently working on my first Arduino project. I've decided to start off with a bang, so I'm making a Rubik's cube solving robot along with my friend who has a 3d printer.
We found a guide (https://www.instructables.com/Rubiks-Cube-Solver-2/) on how to do so which we are loosely following. The person in the guide used a teensy4.1, but I'm going to use my Arduino mega 2560 instead. I currently have a working website which allows you to input the colors of the cube, and it outputs a solution in standard Rubik's cube notation. I'm planning to have the website communicate to the Arduino with an HC-05 bluetooth chip, which will receive the steps to solve the cube after they are calculated.
I need to power the stepper motors (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PNEQKC0), which take 12 volts and 2 amps as inputs. To power the motors, we were originally planning on using an old pc power supply, but that was too big and supplied 24v. We were looking at this power supply which does look good, except the cost is not ideal for us. It also has features that we don't need, such as going up to 30 amps instead of 2. It may be worth it if I would use it for multiple different projects, but I won't which is why I don't want to pay $50.
I then found this, which is 12 volts and 2 amps, so it seems perfect. However, it outputs with a dc plug, which I don't know how to use for my project. Do I just have to cut the tip off, and test the individual wires with a multimeter to see which ones have the electric current? Also, how would I go about splitting the power for the six different motors?
I don't know too much about the hardware side(especially regarding motors) of making circuits like this, and any help is appreciated. Thanks!
TL;DR; How do I use a DC Plug power supply to power six different stepper motors?
That is 2 amps per winding. There are TWO winds per motor! So, 4 Amps per each. Then you
U need a controller for each motor. Good luck with the project!
I think you misunderstood things.
The one you linked to is a 2.8volt stepper motor.
The recommended voltage of 12-24volt is for the driver for that stepper motor.
Anything between 12volt and the maximum voltage the driver can take will work.
A 24volt (or higher) supply allows the motor to maintain it's torque at higher speeds.
12volt is OK if your project only needs a relative low speed.
The supply needs to be able to deliver 5Amp.
You have picked a large motor, with 2Amp coils.
That means you shouldn't use a cheap driver, like the A4988 or DRV8825.
These motors need a large-footprint driver, like the TB6600.
Leo..
Thanks for all the clarification. The person in the guide used these drivers, would they be considered cheap at their price of $3.80 (CAD) per unit? Also, if the motor the guide used is too big, what alternatives are there that I could use. I don't care too much about speed, but obviously don't want it to be boring watching it solve. I want it to get solve times of around 5 seconds, with the 20 move solutions generated by my website. Why does my supply need to deliver 5amps? I have six motors, each taking 4 amps as @Paul_KD7HB said. Thanks
As already pointed out, your stepper needs a current controlling driver, which can deliver 2A continuously ( to get the full torque of the motor ). To select a proper PSU you need to consider the power your stepper needs. Your stepper needs 2.8Vx2A = 5.6W per coil or ~11W per motor. Add at least 50%, better 100% for losses and safety margin. So your PSU must be able to deliver >=22W power per motor.
Finding cheap power supplies for multiple steppers is a problem often faced by people building DIY 3d printers or similar devices. There is some info here : Power Supply - RepRap
I have used the following :
Generic power brick PSU
ATX PSU
XBOX PSU
open frame PSU
second hand server PSU
The cheapest option depends on what you might be able to find in your local marketplace, and how much DIY you are prepared to do. It sounds like not much. I would have another look at a PC PSU, these are 12V and quite easy to adapt. (Not sure why you think they are 24V).
Alternatively a 2nd hand XBOX PSU, cheap and easy to adapt, relatively small.
Because you need current controlling drivers, the amps for the motor coils are not of concern for the PSU ( The are of concern for the driver ). As I already mentioned, the power of the PSU is the main point. The higher the voltage of the PSU ( within the limits of the driver ), the lower the amps can be.
Can I suggest you stand back from that project and get some basics under your belt.
Start with learning how to drive a stepper.
There are many online tutorials explaining how to us an Arduino to control these devices.
Then each of the other aspects of your project, one at a time.
Can you please tell us your electronics, programming, arduino, hardware experience?
I've been programming for four years, mainly in JavaScript and C. I got my Arduino two years ago but haven't been using it too much. I have an electronics kit that I got, which has basic compoenents like transistors, leds, resistors, and capacitors. I've made some basic projects with my arduino before, like controlling an LED light strip, using a passive buzzer along with the tone library to play music, and some basic circuits like turning an led on and off depending on the press of a button. I've never used motors before, so this is all new to me. It probably will be easiest for me to learn doing everything one-step at a time, like connecting the arduino to bluetooth, then trying with motors, etc.
To learn to control a stepper motor, I might as well get one that I will use later on in the project, so I only have to purchase 5 more in the future. If these motors are too powerful, then I'll look at other steppers on amazon. What do you think I should get? I looked at the pc power supply and it's actually 12 volts and 380 watts, so it's about 30 amps. I'm fine with getting different motors, with the preferred speed for them being around 0.25 seconds for a 90 degree turn, but more is fine. Thanks!
They are not. I seen in the video that he bought special cubes where he could reduce the tension so that the motors could easily rotate a side. I'd keep those motors.
I'll be using a Moyu RS3M Rubik's cube, which is better than his(by far) since it's a speed cube. Its tensions can be adjusted easily and it also has magnets, which can further increase speed and reliability. Are the drivers used in the guide good for the motors, because as @Wawa said they are 1.4amps max, but the motors are 2 amps.
Also, forgot to specify that I haven't purchased anything yet, and the only thing I have is my Arduino and other basic parts like resistors and capacitors.
There is no problem using less current, you just loose some torque but if your cube is easy to turn then you might need a lot of torque.
Well he got his device to work in the end so maybe 1.4A was enough. You can buy higher current drivers but it depends how much you want to spend.
This is the power supply we want to use, it outputs 16 amps at 12 volts, and 240W. That means it will work, since you only need 5 amps total, and 22 watts per motor, right?
If you have a 2A driver and one that can cut the current in half when the motor is idle and you drive the motors at 2A then you will need 4 + 2 +2 +2 +2 +2 = 14A
But more than that isn't a bad thing, since the drivers I linked are able to regulate the current down to 2 amps. Are my drivers capable of using less current when the motor is idle, or will I need to buy more to achieve this functionality?
