Articles on: Learning & FAQ

Should the Stepper Motor Driver Set the Current Value to 2 Times the Rated Current of A 2-phase Stepper Motor?

First, let’s understand the working principle of stepper motors:
Like all motors, stepper motors include a stator and a rotor. The stator has gear-like protrusions wrapped with coils, while the rotor is a permanent magnet or variable reluctance iron core.
The basic working principle of a stepper motor is to energize one of the stator phases. The current passing through the coil will generate a magnetic field, and the rotor will be aligned with the magnetic field. Apply voltage to different phases in sequence, and the rotor will rotate at a specific angle and finally reach the required location.

As shown in the figure below, coil A is energized and generates a magnetic field, and the rotor is aligned with the magnetic field; after coil B is energized, the rotor rotates 60° clockwise to align with the new magnetic field.


The motor works when its coils are energized in a certain sequence. This is also the meaning of the excitation sequence in the drawing.

Obviously, when the 2-phase stepper motor is working, only one phase is energized. Therefore, although the rated current of the stepper motor refers to the rated current of each phase, when setting the current of the driver, it only needs to be set near the rated current, and does not need to be set to twice the rated current.

Updated on: 24/10/2024

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