How to Set the Current on Stepper Driver, RMS or Peak?
The RMS Current and the Peak Current are two different ways of expressing the same electrical current that flows through a stepper motor. The difference between them is in how the current is measured and calculated.
The RMS current is a measure of the effective or average current that flows through the motor coils over time. It takes into account the fact that the current is not constant but varies over time as the motor steps. The RMS current is calculated by taking the square root of the average of the squared current values over one cycle.
The peak current, on the other hand, is the maximum current that flows through the motor coils during each step. It represents the instantaneous value of the current at its peak, which occurs when the motor is starting or stopping.
In general, the RMS current is used to specify the rated current of a stepper motor, and it's the value that should be set on the stepper motor driver. This is because the RMS current is a more accurate representation of the average current that the motor can safely handle without overheating or damaging the coils.
The peak current, on the other hand, is used to calculate the power dissipated by the motor coils, and it's important to ensure that the stepper motor driver can handle the peak current without exceeding its maximum rating. Some stepper motor drivers have a feature that can limit the peak current to a certain value, which can help prevent overheating and damage to the motor.
Therefore, when setting the current on the stepper motor driver, please try to make the rated current of the motor close to the RMS value of the driver. If the motor needs to work continuously for a long time, you need to pay attention to the temperature rise of the motor. If you feel that the temperature of the motor is too high, you can properly reduce the current.
In our experience, we usually match the RMS value on the driver to the rated current of the motor to ensure higher performance. When we feel that the motor is overheating, we match the rated current of the motor to the PEAK value on the driver.
Additionally, under short-term working cycle conditions, we recommend using the RMS value, and under long-term working cycle conditions, we recommend using the PEAK value.
The RMS current is a measure of the effective or average current that flows through the motor coils over time. It takes into account the fact that the current is not constant but varies over time as the motor steps. The RMS current is calculated by taking the square root of the average of the squared current values over one cycle.
The peak current, on the other hand, is the maximum current that flows through the motor coils during each step. It represents the instantaneous value of the current at its peak, which occurs when the motor is starting or stopping.
In general, the RMS current is used to specify the rated current of a stepper motor, and it's the value that should be set on the stepper motor driver. This is because the RMS current is a more accurate representation of the average current that the motor can safely handle without overheating or damaging the coils.
The peak current, on the other hand, is used to calculate the power dissipated by the motor coils, and it's important to ensure that the stepper motor driver can handle the peak current without exceeding its maximum rating. Some stepper motor drivers have a feature that can limit the peak current to a certain value, which can help prevent overheating and damage to the motor.
Therefore, when setting the current on the stepper motor driver, please try to make the rated current of the motor close to the RMS value of the driver. If the motor needs to work continuously for a long time, you need to pay attention to the temperature rise of the motor. If you feel that the temperature of the motor is too high, you can properly reduce the current.
In our experience, we usually match the RMS value on the driver to the rated current of the motor to ensure higher performance. When we feel that the motor is overheating, we match the rated current of the motor to the PEAK value on the driver.
Additionally, under short-term working cycle conditions, we recommend using the RMS value, and under long-term working cycle conditions, we recommend using the PEAK value.
Updated on: 08/05/2023
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