Stepper Motor & Motor Control

Compared to the gear motors commonly used in vibraphones, stepper motors have the advantage of being much lighter and can be operated at a lower supply voltage of 12V. Their disadvantage is usually that the step operation causes noise interference. 

I have therefore used drivers for my control system that enable a significant reduction in noise excitation via a so-called StealthChop.

In combination with a high-quality stepper motor (Wantei 42BYGHW811) and an elastic motor mount, I was able to reduce the motor noise to a great extent. However, it cannot be completely eliminated, but it can usually be shifted to speeds that are rarely or never used by adjusting the control system. 

My control system is capable of controlling two stepper motors synchronously at the same time, as I use one motor per resonance tube row for my folding frame. The direction of rotation can be defined for each motor via the two jumpers.

Boards can be requested from me while supplies last: wyndorps@web.de
The board assembly is shown in the individual illustrations below, including a link for purchasing the components.