Motor Selection with corresponding driver

Robotics
1

Hi, I’m building a very simple turntable using a worm gear (see attached image of a similar worm gear box).
Screen Shot 2020-02-25 at 1.22.10 PM.png I just need the turntable shaft to turn slowly. That is why I’m using a 30:1 worm gear setup. I need to power this unit. I need to control the speed but I do not need the turntable to find an exact position, although it might be helpful to program it to do so.

I’m looking at stepper motors and DC brushless motors. I need the motor to do the following:

  1. to turn at speeds I specify (various slow speeds)

  2. low noise, smooth operation.

  3. No load to very low load. I’m basically placing a mirror on the shaft of the work gear box. No belts or heavy weights. just a slowly turning 1/4 D shaft. Therefore, I need very little torque.

Although I’m not opposed to using an arduino with a potentiometer, I would rather control the motor with the simplest PC software to change the RPM as needed.

Second, once I get help with the motor selection I would like that motor to connect with a motor driver and the proper controller. As I said above, I would like to use a very simple PC program (I have not found a program yet) to control the speed of the motor.

I’m thinking a motor controller with a USB port to connect to a PC driving a simple motor that I can make turn slowly.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Dwane

2

Hi Dwane.

If you don’t need precise positioning or to know the exact speed, a regular brushed DC motor along with a regulated variable voltage power supply is all you really need. More voltage makes the motor spin faster, less makes it spin slower. Since you need almost no torque, the speed should remain fairly constant at whatever voltage you set your power source too.

If you need precise speed control at a specific speed or need to move the motor to specific locations, you could add an encoder to a DC motor setup OR you could switch to using a stepper motor. Either will make an electronic controller necessary and you would need to assemble that and write the software to make it work. Unfortunately I don’t have a motor driver that can be controlled with PC software but an Arduino might work for that if you wrote your own software.

I also don’t have brushless motor controllers or motors but one of those with the right driver should allow you to control speed relatively well.

  1. to turn at speeds I specify (various slow speeds)

  2. low noise, smooth operation.

I’d go with a low RPM brushed DC gear motor for that as it hits both points. They have tons of torque but even though you don’t need it, the extra torque will help regulate speed.