Book Image

C Programming for Arduino

By : Julien Bayle
Book Image

C Programming for Arduino

By: Julien Bayle

Overview of this book

Physical computing allows us to build interactive physical systems by using software & hardware in order to sense and respond to the real world. C Programming for Arduino will show you how to harness powerful capabilities like sensing, feedbacks, programming and even wiring and developing your own autonomous systems. C Programming for Arduino contains everything you need to directly start wiring and coding your own electronic project. You'll learn C and how to code several types of firmware for your Arduino, and then move on to design small typical systems to understand how handling buttons, leds, LCD, network modules and much more. After running through C/C++ for the Arduino, you'll learn how to control your software by using real buttons and distance sensors and even discover how you can use your Arduino with the Processing framework so that they work in unison. Advanced coverage includes using Wi-Fi networks and batteries to make your Arduino-based hardware more mobile and flexible without wires. If you want to learn how to build your own electronic devices with powerful open-source technology, then this book is for you.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
C Programming for Arduino
Credits
About the Author
Acknowledgement
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Controlling stepper motors


Stepper motor is the common name for a step motor. They are motors that are controllable using small steps.

The full rotation is divided into a number of equal steps and the motors' positions can be controlled to move and hold at one of these steps easily with a high degree of accuracy, without any feedback mechanism.

There are a series of electromagnetic coils that can be charged positively or negatively in a specific sequence. Controlling the sequence provides control about the movement, forward or backward in small steps.

Of course, we can do that using Arduino boards.

We are going to examine the unipolar stepper here.

Wiring a unipolar stepper to Arduino

Unipolar steppers usually consist of a center shaft part and four electromagnetic coils. We call them unipolar because power comes in through one pole. We can draw it as follows:

A six-pin unipolar step motor

Let's check how it can be wired to our Arduino.

We need to supply power to the stepper from an external source...