Microstepping Tutorial: A Brief Overview

Microstepping in stepper motors has been a growing point of interest for some time now, and for good reason. While there are certainly advantages and disadvantages of microstepping, there’s a strong allure to the idea of microstepping a two-phase stepper motor because of the perceived resolution and accuracy benefits.

This concept will be addressed momentarily, but first it’s important to address: what is microstepping and how does it work?

Microstepping Tutorial: What is it and How Does It Work?

Stepper motors typically operate via an electrical pulse that turns the motor one full step. This pulse is continually introduced, keeping the motor turning in one full step increments. Microstepping is when the motor turns less than one full step.

Microstepping can decrease the size of a step significantly – often between 16 and 64 microsteps per one full step. This is achieved by introducing custom algorithms to adjust the strength of the electrical impulse.

The value of microstepping is not in increased accuracy – in fact, microstepping often decreases accuracy. Microstepping enables smoother, more even motion in stepper motor applications. Microstepping decreases mechanical noise, provides gentler actuation and reduces resonances problems.

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Microstepping Tutorial: Are there Downsides to Microstepping?

As mentioned, microstepping does not increase the accuracy of a stepper motor. This is because stepper motors will have inherent error because of their construction. In this way, microstepping does not increase accuracy. In fact, as microsteps get smaller, accuracy can actually begin to decrease.

The other downside of microstepping is that incremental torque decreases as you increase the number of microsteps. If there’s any load torque, there will be a magnetic backlash, displacing the rotor from its intended position until enough torque is generated.

There are advantages and disadvantages to microstepping. To decide if it’s right for you, you need to understand these pros and cons in terms of your own specific application requirements. Microstepping may not work for everyone, but it can provide many benefits for the right application.