To fully characterize a motor’s frequency response curve scientifically, an appliance for measuring motor performance is essential. At a minimum, measuring motor RPM under load while varying the PWM frequency will yield the frequencies where motor speed begins to drop and stall. A more sophisticated testing appliance adds sensors for measuring voltage, current, power, and torque.

robotics___cnc_Motor_Tester_Conceptual_Design.jpeg
Motor Tester Conceptual Design

The motor tester used for this Learning Guide consisted of six fundamental components:

The motor tester's code, written in CircuitPython, exercises the test motor, applies a braking current to the brake motor to simulate a load, and measures the current drawn by the test motor. In addition, motor speed and torque are recorded throughout the test.

The data used to create the collection of performance charts for this learning guide were captured by this apparatus.

Angled Shot of Adafruit PyBadge - Low Cost.
What's the size of a credit card and can run CircuitPython, MakeCode Arcade or Arduino even when you're on a budget? That's right, it's the Adafruit...
Out of Stock
Anlged shot of SMT Socket Header Kit for FeatherWings
These two SMT Socket Headers alone are, well, lonely. But pair them with any of our Feather boards...
$2.95
In Stock
Angled shot of a Strain Gauge Load Cell - 4 Wires - 1Kg.
A strain gauge is a type of electronic sensor used to measure force or strain (big surprise there). They are made of an insulating flexible backing with a metallic...
$3.95
In Stock
Video of a pair of white hand's trying to bend a strain gauge. The gauge is connected to a breakout board which is also connected to an OLED display on a half-size breadboard. The numbers on the OLED display show high digit numbers.
If you are feeling the stress and strain of modern life a Wheatstone bridge and you want to quantify it, this handy breakout will do the job, no sweat! The Adafruit...
$5.95
In Stock
Angled shot of a TCA9548A I2C Multiplexer.
You just found the perfect I2C sensor, and you want to wire up two or three or more of them to your Arduino when you realize "Uh oh, this chip has a fixed I2C address, and from...
$6.95
In Stock

This guide was first published on Apr 11, 2021. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (A Motor Testing Appliance) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

Text editor powered by tinymce.