Motor Tutorial

Kevin M. Lynch
Laboratory for Intelligent Mechanical Systems
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL USA
 Types of Motors
• DC (brushed)

• Stepper

• RC Servo

• Solenoid
 Types of Motors
• DC (brushed) Workhorse, high power
Simple to use, two wires
• Stepper Torque proportional to
current, steady state
constant-load speed
• RC Servo proportional to voltage
Requires gearing
• Solenoid Requires feedback
 Types of Motors
• DC (brushed)
Useful for low-torque
• Stepper applications with no
surprises
No feedback required
• RC Servo
One step per pulse
More involved driving circuit
• Solenoid
 Types of Motors
• DC (brushed)
High torque, useful for
• Stepper positioning applications
Feedback and gearing built in
• RC Servo Position commanded by
persistent pulse train
Limited motion (less than 1
• Solenoid revolution)
 Types of Motors
• DC (brushed)

• Stepper
For on-off applications
• RC Servo Simple to use
Short stroke
• Solenoid Powered in only one
direction; requires external
spring for return
 DC Motors
Lorentz Force Law:
F=IxB

F = force on wire N S
I = current
B = magnetic field

Right hand rule:

index finger along I,
middle finger along B,
thumb along F
Inside a DC Motor
 DC Motors
V = IR + L (dI/dt) + ke
 = kt I

V voltage
I current 2 - permanent magnet
3 - housing (magnetic return)
R resistance 4 - shaft
L inductance 5 - winding

 speed 
 torque speed-torque curves
ke electrical constant for two voltages

kt torque constant


DC Motor Specs
 Driving a DC Motor
 Switches and relays
 Transistors
 Linear push-pull stage with op amp
 Ideally: H-bridge and PWM
 H-bridge and PWM
PWM: Rapidly switch between S1-
S4 closed and S2-S3 closed

Averages to effective voltage

across motor between -V and +V
depending on time spent in S1-
S4 and S2-S3 states

Switch control signals are simply

digital signals

Use an H-bridge chip or build out

of transistors
L293 H-bridge chip
 Practical Issues
 flyback diodes for “inductive kick”
 heat sinks for transistors
 capacitors to smooth voltage spikes
 other noise issues, isolation
 Gears
Gear ratio G
out = in / G
out =  G in ( = efficiency)

Many types
spur, planetary, worm, lead/ball screw, bevel,
harmonic...
Encoder Feedback

Another option:
potentiometer

US Digital
 Feedback Control
 Proportional (Integral-Derivative) Control
Multiply position/velocity error by a gain to get control
signal (and perhaps add integral and derivative of
that error multiplied by other gains)

 Usually implemented on computer

 Can be implemented with op amps

 Stepper Motor
A B
 Bipolar: 4 wires R R
R
1 2 3 4
A B R L
L
L L
L
L R
L R
R

 Unipolar: 5 or 6 wires
+V alternately ground one
end of coil or other
 Animation of Unipolar

Taken from http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/step/

 Driving a Stepper

Use logic on/off signals at 2, 7, 10, 15.

 RC Servo Motor
3 wires: power, ground, control

Control signal sets the position.

High pulse every ~20 ms determines

set angle; pulse width between
~0.5 ms and ~2 ms, indicating the
two ends of angle range

Internal gearing, potentiometer, and

feedback control.
 Solenoid
Plunger attracted or repelled by current
through a coil.

May be driven by a relay or transistor.

Questions?