motorized elevator

[ziedhosni]

Hello,

I would like to build a motorized mini lift that I can control by labview with serial cable.

The simple idea is the link below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_actuator

Please can you help me how to choose the right motor, how to connect it to the screw ring and the most important how can I send the command between the computer and the motor.

Thanks for your help

PS: I have to mention I am chemist

[Emily-C]

Hi ziedhosni,

You can buy linear actuators that will convert the circular motion of your motor to a linear motion. NI does not sell linear actuators, but you may be able to purchase one from an NI Partner. Before purchasing an actuator, you should determine the requirements of your application.

Some things you should consider:

What minimmum incremental motion (resolution) do you require?

What length of travel will be required?

What load will you be moving?

This information will help you choose a linear actuator that is appropriate for your application.

The main components you will need are software to use LabVIEW to control your motor, a motion controller, a driver, and a motor.

It sounds like you want to control your motor from a PC. You can do this using a PCI card motion controller, and the NI Motion Software.

We also sell drives and motors on our website. The links above offer more information on these options. The main decision will be what kind of motor you want to use - stepper, brushed servo, or brushless servo.

Please let me know if you have any more details on the specifications of your application. Take a look through the documentation listed above, and let us know if you have any questions!

Thank you,

[ziedhosni]

Hi Emily,

Thank you for your reply.

I need this elevator to move up and down a reactor weighinh almost 500g. 1mm as a resolution is enough for me and I need a travel of 10 to 15 cm.

My budget is limited, so I prefer simple and cheap solution.

Do you think which kind of motor driver I need. For the moment, I have a stepper motor with 4 wires(red blue black and green).I think I have to attach them to the motor driver, then 2 of them will go the the electricity supplier and 2 will be used to connect to the computer through a serial or usb cable. Am I right?

Please correct me I make mistakes.

The next step is to find the motion controller. Which one do you advise me to use?

Thanks for your help.

[johnsold]

Your stepper motor wires - all 4 of them - will be connected to power circuits. The switching sequence determines the direction of rotation of the motor. 

The best way to drive a stepper motor is to use a stepper motor controller. It is possible to build your own but given your lack of experience with stepper motors, I recommend that your obtain a controller designed to work with your motor. You could use equipment from NI. It has the advantage that it is easy to use with NI software. You may be able to find less expensive controllers elsewhere but you will need to put more effort into programming your software to make it do what you want.

Lynn

[ziedhosni]

Hi, For the first time I think I have to use a motor driver form NI. My stepper motor is 12V. Can you help me to choose the right and the cheapest driver. Do you think there is any discount for students or academics.

[ziedhosni]

I guess if I find the right card. I can just plug the 4 wires from the motor to this card then I have 2 output cables: one for the electricity supplier and one to the computer. Is it right?

[ziedhosni]

Do you think there is a card for less than 100 pounds?

[Emily-C]

Hi ziedhosni,

Thank you for providing more details. For a stepper motor, you will need a stepper motor controller, a stepper motor drive, and commonly also a UMI board to easily connect the two. The stepper motor drive will also require a power supply for power. You can't just plug the motor directly into the card because it won't be able to provide the necessary power.

PCI-7332 Stepper Motor Controller: https://www.ni.com/en-us/support/model.pci-7332.html

UMI-7772

PS-15 Power Supply: https://www.ni.com/en-us/support/model.ps-15.html

This Getting Started Guide has diagrams and descriptions that show what a full system would look like:

https://www.ni.com/docs/en-US/bundle/372324c/resource/372324c.pdf

Unfortunately, I don't think that you will be able to find what you're looking for with a budget of 100 pounds. If this is for school is it possible that your school has some hardware you could use? Lynn is right that in order to work with LabVIEW, using our Stepper Motor Controller is definitely the easiest way to go. But our controllers can work with some other third-party motor drives. Is it possible your university would be able to provide access to any of this hardware?

I hope this helps!

[johnsold]

ziedhosni,

I have worked with many student projects at universities. What is your background and experience with power electronics?  If you can find an old sample changer or similar instrument which is no lnoger functioning (such things are not uncommon at universities), you might be able to salvage both a stepper motor and a driver board for it.  Printers and plotters are another source but the motors may not have the power to move your elevator.

Lynn

[ziedhosni]

Thank you very much for your answe. I feel my problem wil;l be more complicated as I am limited by the budget. I found in ebay some motor controller of 10 to 30 pounds. But I am wondering that they can be used with labview. Do you think how can I know whether it is possible to controlled with labview.

Do you think it is necessary to buy a driver, do you know sone free universal driver that can work with a standard stepper motor?

I thought my problem is very simple as I wanted to move between 2 points using a stepper motor but it seems too difficult for a chemist 😕

Thanks,