Stepper Motor
These can be both AC Motor or DC Motor.
They are Brushless Motor, but the internal structure is different. Stepper Motors are very precise. A typical stepper motor has 200 steps per revolution. Each pulse sent to the motor results in a step.
Videos
Hybrid Stepper motor → nema17
A cheaper one is 28BYJ-48.
You need a Stepper Driver to control these drivers.
- Standard choice is A4988, but those are quite loud, so it’s recommended to use TMC2208 (TMC2209??), look at this article
Stepper Motor vs. BLDC Motor
BLDC motors are optimized for smooth torque between steps, not repeatability. Stepper motors are designed to maximize holding torque.
- A stepper motor is intended to be operated in steps
- A BLDC motor is intended to be operated to provide smooth motion
Why do the BLDC motor controllers look different from the stepper motor controllers?
BLDC motor controllers and stepper motor controllers look different primarily because they are designed for different types of motors with distinct control requirements. BLDC controllers usually require complex circuitry for sensor-based or sensorless control, while stepper controllers are designed to execute precise step-based movements.