Stepper Motors

Abstract

Stepper motors are electromechanical motion devices which are used primarily to convert information in digital form to mechanical motion. Stepper motors come in various sizes and shapes but most falls into two types – the variable-reluctance stepper motor and the permanent-magnet stepper motor. There are two general types of variable-reluctance stepper motors: single- and multistack. The chapter looks at the multistack device in some detail, followed by a brief discussion of the single-stack variable-reluctance stepper motor. Stepper motors are used to convert digital or discrete information into a change in angular position. The chapter looks at the operating characteristics of a multistack variable-reluctance stepper motor from the standpoint of idealized, pseudo steady-state conditions. The single-stack variable-reluctance stepper motor has only one stack and all stator phases are arranged on this single stack.