Hello, I am interested in the C-Beam Linear Actuator Bundle. However, I don't seem to find any information on how to control its motion. If I want to use Arduino to control it, what motor controller and driver do you recommend? With the NEMA 23 Stepper Motor and this C-Beam Linear Actuator, can it exhibit a constant linear speed of 0.05"/min and any specific constant force I want (up to 300N is desirable)? C-Beam® Linear Actuator Bundle - OpenBuilds Part Store
one might normally use a BlackBox to make things move by sending it Gcode commands. The blackbox contains the arduino and the stepper drivers. if you really want to roll your own then you need an Arduino (or ESP32 type board, usually cheaper) and a stepper driver (4A minimum) and a power supply (24V minimum). then you need to write or download software (could be GRBL or grblHAL) to do what you want. force on these actuators is not regulated, it just is what it is (-: if the motor has enough strength it will just keep moving no matter the load.
If you only need one driver and want and easy hook-up, an Arduino and a DQ542MA driver. Then use the wiring diagram here: C-Beam cnc (scroll past the "unavailable" videos). I have had great luck with these drivers. I have been running the set I bought at the OpenBuilds Parts Store (back when they sold them) since 2016 using a genuine Arduino board. I have had no issues. If you need 4 quality drivers then you would be better off with the BlackBox X32. When you add the price of quality external drivers, a genuine Arduino (My very real experience is that cheap clones have issues) and a screw shield to make hookup easy and secure you are getting close to the same cost with a whole lot more labor involved.
Thanks. I only need one driver. With the DQ542MA driver, can I make constant linear motion of 0.05"/min in particular? How to tell if the motor can exhibit a compression force of 300N?
50 thou per minute is really slow but should be easy to program into an arduino, plenty of stepper control examples in the arduino world. what is 300N (-: you can calculate the force from the motor torque and the leadscrew pitch. so for the stock OB stepper motor chatgpt gave me this conversion "The relationship between torque (T), force (F), and pitch (P) in a leadscrew can be expressed by the formula: F= T/P where: F is the force in Newtons, T is the torque in Newton-centimeters (N⋅cm), P is the pitch in millimeters. Given that the torque (T) is 123 N⋅cm and the pitch (P) is 8 mm, you can substitute these values into the formula to find the force (F): F=123 N⋅cm/8 mm First, convert 8 mm to centimeters (1 cm = 10 mm): P=8 mm/10=0.8 cm Now, substitute the values into the formula: F=123 N⋅cm/0.8 cm F≈153.75 N Therefore, the force that the motor can exert is approximately 153.75 Newtons. " so, that is aboout half or your 300N so you either need twice the motor torque or half the pitch.
Thanks for your analysis. How about adding a gearbox in between the C-Beam Linear Actuator Bundle and a NEMA 23 Stepper Motor? Is it easy to do it with the stock C-Beam Linear Actuator Bundle product?
Thanks. Do you have any good recommended product that would fit both the motor and the C-Beam Linear Actuator Bundle? Given my requirements (300N max downward compressive force, 0.05"/min downward linear speed), what specifications of Nema 23 stepper motor should I be concerned with when choosing the motor? It looks like the common ratios for planetary gearbox are 5:1, 10:1, 20;1 and 50:1.
Hello, I want to calculate the torque required by the motor to move the lead screw. Is torque = (weight of the load x lead) / (2π x efficiency), where the lead (distance travelled/revolution is 8mm) the right formula? What is the efficiency of the screw and nut in the C-Beam Linear Actuator Bundle?
