Stepper motor applications and solutions
For the motor drive chip, high energy efficiency, low noise, safe and reliable, easy to use and cost-effective has always been the goal of users. As motor drive products become more widely used, higher requirements will be raised.
Stepper motors are widely used due to their simple use and obvious cost advantages. Such as in the multi-function printer / scanner, sewing machine, cash machine and other industrial fields. But stepper motors are not the perfect and ideal solution, especially in environments where multiple motors work simultaneously, and the audio noise is especially severe. In addition, even at low speeds, power consumption is still generated, which has an impact on the life of some handheld devices. Overheating caused by low energy efficiency can not be ignored. In some cases, the system has to add a cooling fan, resulting in increased cost and system complexity, reducing system reliability.
Designers sometimes use BLDC (Brushless DC Motor) to overcome the shortcomings of stepper motors, achieving high efficiency, smoothness and low noise, resulting in reduced power consumption and heat generation. But the cost is rising, and in many cases the MCU has to be used, which also makes the system design more difficult. From stepper motors to BLDC, there is also a big change in the design of the mechanical subsystem. The longer design cycles and long-term reliability tests also greatly delay the time to market.
Therefore, users need to purchase a reasonable motor control solution according to specific application requirements, while taking into account factors such as low noise, high energy efficiency, high reliability and cost.
LC898240/LV8702 stepper motor solution
In order to meet the high performance requirements of the market, ON Semiconductor's LC898240/LV8702 can improve the existing solutions through two new working methods, fully solve the problems of the traditional stepper motor, and is a cost-effective and innovative stepper motor solution. The LC898240 improves the current stepping scheme by monitoring the BEMF waveform of the motor coil to determine load changes to adjust the motor current and stepping pulses without changing the mechanical system to achieve BLDC-like performance, improving overall energy efficiency and reducing Output noise.
The LC898240 can be used as an auxiliary device to work with conventional motor drive chips. In addition to the current adjustment function for high energy efficiency, its built-in EEPROM can store nine kinds of working timings, each of which has 440 steps, enabling the MCU-free working mode, which is convenient for users to choose.
The LV8702 is a single-chip product with integrated LC898240 function. It combines BEMF detection feedback and motor drive functions to make it easier to use. Its high efficiency mode can reduce power consumption by up to 80% compared with traditional stepper motors.
