Week 8: Segment 2: Stepper Motors Controlled by the Arduino

This segment focuses on the use of stepper motors with the Arduino.  

Goals:
  • Understand stepper motors and analog inputs.

In-Class Project:
  • Present homework set-up. Bring your working set-ups to class. We will determine who did it successfully. This will count like an attendance check/quiz.
  • Homework: Build a setup that combines the stepper motor with the potentiometer, and that uses the LCD display to show the motor RPM. The potentiometer will control the RPM of the stepper motor in a way that when the pot is set all the way CCW the motor is fully stopped. If it is fully CW then the motor runs at its highest speed. Find out how fast the motor is at certain settings and calibrate your LCD display printout to show the real RPM of the motor shaft.

Materials for this segment:
  • Read the Arduino.cc page on the stepper library.
  • Watch the video on the right.
  • Arduino sketch featured in the In-Class Project (see below the video on the right)
  • Modified 'stepper.h' library (renamed as stepperAK.h) that works with the Arduino Kit stepper motor 28BYJ-48.
  • Additional info:  Tutorial on the 28BYJ-48 at Adafruit.
This is the Arduino sketch used in the tutorial:
tutorial_steppermotor.zip
File Size: 2 kb
File Type: zip
Download File
This is the modified stepper library for the 28BYJ-48 motor in the Arduino Kit. Put it into your libraries folder.
stepperarduinokitlibrary.zip
File Size: 5 kb
File Type: zip
Download File
This is an example sketch using the above modified library. This sketch is a modified version of the 'one revolution' example that comes with the Arduino IDE.
tutorial_stepper_onerevolution_stepperaklib.zip
File Size: 1 kb
File Type: zip
Download File