Hello, I am trying to control a stepper motor using a set point on a load cell. I want to be able to choose a set point of 10lbs and turn the stepper motor on with a toggle switch. Once the load cell reads 10lbs of force, I want the stepper motor to turn off automatically. What parts do I need to perform this and could someone walk me through getting everything set up? Thanks in advance.
Greetings,
What you ask is a bit out of scope for us; much as a grocery store typically doesn’t offer a shopping list and cooking lessons upon request for beef wellington, we aren’t equipped to provide a parts list and step-by step instructions for achieving some end goal. That said, I can offer some general pointers.
If your load cell is of an unamplified type as many are, you’ll likely need an op amp to increase its signal level to something practical.
Some sort of control device would likely be needed; the arduino platform is very popular for entry point for many into the microcontroller world, with a fair amount of educational resources available at www.arduino.cc.
A stepper motor driver of some sort would also be needed to translate control signals to higher-level motor drive signals; the 20170003-002 is one of of many available devices having a similar form factor that have become popular as a result of the open-source 3D printing scene. If your chosen motor is substantially large than those found in those applications, a different device selection may be needed.
A power supply to power the whole thing would be needed also, with selection again quite dependent on your choice of motor. And of course, you’ll want a toggle switch.