Stepper motor step calculator
Steps per millimetre is the number every motion controller needs. It follows from step angle, microstepping and the mechanics.
degrees
mm/s
kHz
Steps per millimetre
400.000 00
- Resolution
- 2.5000 micrometres
- Steps per revolution
- 3200
- Step rate at the target speed
- 40.000 kHz
- Maximum speed the driver allows
- 500.0 mm/s
- Motor speed
- 750.0 rpm
- Within the driver step rate
- 1
Show the working
- Step angle = 1.8
- Microstepping = 16
- Screw lead or belt pitch x teeth = 8
- Gear reduction = 1
- Target speed = 100
- Driver step rate limit = 200
- full_steps = 1.8 > 0 ? 360/1.8 : 0 = 200
- Steps per revolution = 200 * 16 = 3200
- Steps per millimetre = 8 > 0 ? 3200 * 1 / 8 : 0 = 400
- resolution = 400 > 0 ? 1/400 : 0 = 0.0025
- Resolution = 0.0025 * 1000 = 2.5
- step_rate = 400 * 100 = 40 000
- Step rate at the target speed = 40 000 / 1000 = 40
- Maximum speed the driver allows = 400 > 0 ? 200 * 1000 / 400 : 0 = 500
- Motor speed = 8 > 0 ? 100 * 60 * 1 / 8 : 0 = 750
- Within the driver step rate = 40 000 <= 200 * 1000 ? 1 : 0 = 1
Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.
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The formula
- steps per revolution = 360 / step angle x microsteps
- steps per mm = steps per revolution x gear ratio / lead
Microstepping improves smoothness far more than it improves real positioning accuracy. Below about 1/8 the incremental torque per microstep is smaller than the friction.
Stepper torque falls sharply with speed. A rate the driver can emit is not necessarily one the motor can follow.