Finding stepper motors for particular projects can be a simple task if you have the right materials and resources. Brush-less motors are used in a number of applications and are very popular among hobbyists. Some examples to projects that may require a motor include, robotics, CNC machining, and other automated mechanical projects. Step motors are popular because they are inexpensive, abundant, and reliable. Since these motors are used in many machines, they are easily found, if you know where to look. This article explains how finding inexpensive step motors can be made easy.
Every year the United States alone will throw out over 300 million electronic products. What many people do not realize is these electronics are filled with reusable parts. One of these parts that can very often be found in an old machine are motors. A great place to begin looking for a step motor is in a recycled floppy drives. brush-less motors are used to control the read/write position of the head. Depending on the drive each one will have different settings on how many steps are required to complete a full revolution. In most cases a stepper motor will reach a complete revolution within 100-400 steps. The range of each stepper motor will vary as well, often they are between.9 and 3.6 degrees. Step motors go even further in depth when micro-stepping, unipolar, and bipolar motors are introduced.
Throwing out that old printer? Not so fast, there is most likely a stepper motor in there somewhere. In older HP printers, particularly LaserJet III printers, fairly powerful stepper motors can be found, and lets not forget they are free. Another computer part that will have a step motor are hard drives, usually in older computers. Make sure to remove the step motor and not the spindle motor that spins the platter drive. The stepper motor can be found on the actuator arm which moves the heads around the platters.
In most cases many people will simply skip taking apart old electronics and purchase a new brush-less motor. These motors can be found online and one site that offers step motors at excellent prices is Circuit Specialists. A number of different sizes, power ratings, and other specifications can be found on the site, and there is no need to dismantle any electronics. Don't waste your time trying to find a stepping motor in an old peice of computer equipment, save yourself the hassle and purchase online.
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