How does a step motor work?
A. A step motor has two primary pieces, the rotor and stator. The stator is made out of coils of wire called the windings and the housing. The rotor is a magnet with teeth which rotates on bearings inside the stator. When current is passed through the stator windings, it produces a magnetic force that holds the rotor in a locked position, the amount of torque needed to exceed this force is called the holding torque. As current is switched in the windings, the motor takes “steps” or small movements in one direction. This movement is similar to the second hand on a clock. The amount of rotational movement per step depends on the construction of the motor. If you increase the frequency of the steps you will eventually go from a stepping movement to continuous rotation.
