Motor selection and control
In this section, we will discuss the various motor options available to build a robot. For a typical desktop robot, the various motor options include the following:
- Direct Current (DC) motors
- Stepper motors
- Servo motors
Let's discuss the applications of these motors.
DC motors
DC motors are ideal for wheeled robots. The following figure shows the DC motors used to drive the wheels of our robot. DC motors are widely used in toys because of their low cost and their small size. The DC motors used in our robot come with an in-built gearbox to reduce the revolutions per minute (rpm) and make it suitable for a wheeled robot.
DC motors are typically operated using an H-bridge circuit. This enables the speed and direction of travel to be controlled.
Stepper motors
Stepper motors are ideal for positioning applications. For example, stepper motors can be...