Geared Stepper and Current Controll

[krazycnc]

Can anyone tell me if this works? Geared 6 wire stepper motor (7.2 : 1) ratio, Xylotex controller, 28v power supply. As I understand it chopper type controllers work by quickly turning the voltage applied on and off and sensing the current and this is according to the stepping set on the board (1,1/2,1/4,1/8 ect). Because I have a motor with 7:1 gearing, I would have to set the board to no stepping? And because there is no "electronic" stepping how is the current controlled with a power supply set at 28v and a motor rated at 2.8 volt. The reason I am using a geared stepper is because of a rack and pinion arrangement. Would I have to use a different controll board and voltage? Thanks for any help.

[ger21]

You can still set it to 1/8 step, or any other microstep setting. The 7.2:1 ration makes no difference.

[krazycnc]

I suppose then that current controll is not a problem, but what about rapids? Is microstepping equivalent to gearing? If I am already at .25 degree step angle coming out of the motor can I just set the controller to 1 or 1/2 microstepping? Thanks

[ger21]

The main benefit of microstepping is making the motor run smoother. You should start out with 1/8 step. If it's not running smoothly, try 1/4 step. Jeff at Xylotex usually recommends running in 1/8 step mode. Although I have seen some people post about their machines running better in 1/4 step mode. Other than that, the only other reason not to run in 1/8 step mode is if you're controller can't output steps fast enough.