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We know from surveys that most Elektor readers are also professional electronics engineers. They work in development, purchasing, or sales of components and devices. We have therefore always been a magazine that has defied the usual division into hobby and professional electronics. A few years ago, we launched our Industry Special (first under the name “Elektor Business”). Here you can find out first-hand what the development departments of the manufacturers have just brought to market.
There are also interesting overview articles on the latest trends in the industry. In 2022, starting with this issue, we will return to a uniform concept and integrate the interesting articles from the industry into Elektor magazine. With a stronger focus on one main topic — without sacrificing coverage of the entire spectrum of electronics in our issues — we can cover different areas more comprehensively and in depth.

Elektor Edition January/February

 

In January/February, we focus on “Motor Control.” The market for electric motors is developing rapidly. Thinking not only about relatively powerful motors that are used in electric vehicles and two-wheelers, but also of smaller motors for drones and machine tools such as 3D printers. Elektor covers this exciting area with its familiar mix of theory and practice. The electronic control of e-motors using integrated H-bridge drivers, stepper motor drivers and other integrated components are highlighted. On pages 6, 52, and 73, you’ll find two basic articles by Mathias Claußen and Thomas Scherer, as well as (of course!) a circuit project on the subject. And on the Industry pages Stuart Cording shows in another article how motor controls can be simplified.

 

Webinar

 

Interested in motor control? In Elektor's upcoming webinar, our experienced Elektor Lab engineers Clemens Valens and Mathias Claußen will cover the basic principles of motor control and also touch on some of the latest developments in the field.

Clemens Valens is an engineer who manages the Elektor Labs online platform. He holds a BSc in Electronics and an MSc in Electronics and Information Technology. Clemens started working for Elektor in 2008 as Editor in Chief of Elektor France, and he has also worked as an editor for Elektor UK/US and ElektorMagazine.com. Today, he is Elektor’s creative technologist responsible for the Elektor Labs community website where electronics enthusiasts can publish their work and interact with peers from all over the world.

Mathias Claußen started as a trained IT systems electronics technician and earned a BSc in Electrical and Information Engineering and a MSc in Microelectronic Systems. After this, he worked as a project engineer for embedded development and focused on ARM Cortex-M-based architectures and real-time operating systems. Mathias joined Elektor in 2018 as part of the Elektor Lab team focusing mainly on software.

 

 

Related Articles

 

Electric Motor Control
By switch, simple PWM, full bridge ...

Wherever electricity is converted into power, or electrical energy into mechanical energy (mostly rotating), it is about the good, old electric motor. Good for electronics engineers, because this type of engine has significantly less mechanical “disturbance” than steam or gasoline engine engines. “Well established” to electronic engineers because arguably all electric motors have long since been invented and hardly anything is happening with their technology. However there are many types of electric motors, and they all need to be controlled suitably for different purposes.

 

 

PWM motor control
With added duty cycle boost

This circuit is designed to allow a small DC motor to run at low rotational speeds. The motor is driven using a PWM signal, in which the duty cycle increases whenever the motor is forced to work harder.

 

 

TMC2160 Motor Driver Board

Stepper motors are popular in computer and microcontroller-based position control applications like robotics, industrial automation, CNC machines, 3D printers and video camera control. Due to their uncomplicated internal construction and their limited number of connection wires, stepper motors look deceptively simple. On the internet, there are even lots of tutorials on how to control these motors using an antique L293D driver IC and an Arduino, but for serious applications everything depends on the quality and the capabilities of the motor driver.

 

 

Precision Control for DC Motors
Get the right spin every time!

This control circuit will provide the correct rotational speed and direction of a 12-V DC motor. Nothing special in that? But there is definitely, when you consider the multitude of potential options for actuating the motor. You can adjust the speed manually with a potentiometer (‘pot’), using a DC voltage level between 0 and 5 (or 10 V) or even digitally using I2C.

 

 

Newsletter

 

Electrical engineers, makers, and students around the world read Elektor's weekly E-Zine for fresh electronics projects, technical insights, new product news, in-depth interviews with industry thought leaders, and much more. We've got something for everyone, from Raspberry Pi and Arduino fans to pro engineers interested in embedded programming. Subscribe to our free E-Zine to get all of this great content delivered directly to your inbox!

 

 

Related Products

 

Kitronik Motor Driver Board for Raspberry Pi Pico

This motor driver board has a compact design and enables the Pico (connected via pin header) to drive 2 motors (or 1 stepper motor) an. The onboard IC is capable of driving two motors simultaneously with full forward, reverse, and stop control. It features the DRV8833 motor driver IC, which has built-in short circuit, over current and thermal protection.

 

 

Motor Control – Projects with Arduino & Raspberry Pi

This book is about DC electric motors and their use in Arduino and Raspberry Pi Zero W based projects. It includes many tested and working projects covering the standard DC motors, stepper motors, servo motors, and mobile robots.

 

 

Cytron 3Amp 4-16 V DC Motor Driver (2 Channels)

Take your motor control applications to the next level! The Cytron 3Amp 4V-16V DC Motor Driver can control two brushed DC motors simultaneously or single bipolar/unipolar stepper motor from 4 V to 16 V, making it ideal to use in small robots for competitions or school projects.

 

 

Cytron Maker Drive – H-Bridge Motor Driver

Brushed motor is the most widely used motor because it is easy to use. Just supply the two terminals with DC power, the motor will start rotating! If you want an easy and beginner friendly motor driver, you are at the right place. Maker Drive is designed for beginners and and is simple to implement.