Hack Stepper Motor EM-211 and EM-210

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"Hack" is a word that depending on context can have a different meaning. For this case, means "modify hardware or software elements to change, improve or enhance their functionality."

I've been posting here very useful information for reuse in their electronics or robotics' projects two types of Stepper Motor ("Also known as Step By Step"), the EM-211 and EM-210 extracted from a dot matrix printer © EPSON LX-300, which is a very common printer to find in enterprises, flea market, and even at homes, consequently these engines too.

A major problem of working with stepper motors is that you must have information of utmost importance as, "How many steps the engine works?", "How amount of current and voltage the engine works?", "How many rotations per minute the engine works, RPM? ". Find information like this is a rather complicated task, because the manufacturer no way will provide them, and I do not know if by bad luck, but in all my searching on the web I don't found nothing useful, leaving only the alternative "Discover yourself".

  

 
So here we go:

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EM-211:

                                                                   Stepper EM-211, Back, Front, Side

Characteristics: (Read hint 1)
Type: Unipolar with 6 wires (Read Tip 1)
Number of steps: 50
Angles by step: 7.2º
Current by step: 0.15A
Voltage per step: 9V
Rotations per minutes: Works good between 50RPM to 300RPM
Wires: (Read Note 1) +A = Orange, -A = Blue, +B = White, -B = Red, COMMONS = Brown

Wires EM-211

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EM-210

                                                         Stepper EM-210, Back, Front, Side

Characteristics: (Read hint 1)
Type: Unipolar with 6 wires (Read Tip 1)
Number of steps: 50 (Read Note 2)
Angles by step: 7.2º
Current by step: 0.42A (Read Tip 2)
Voltage by step: 9V
Rotations per minutes: Works good between 50RPM to 300RPM
Wires: (Read Note 1) +A = Orange, -A = Blue, +B = White, -B = Red, COMMONS = Brown

Wires EM-210

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(Note 1:. Here is the great detail on the characteristics of the engines, the first easy and suggestive  sight is identify the two common wires "The two brown", right at this point, but to identify the four signal has a detail, that the bind to the same coil are not two right and two left, as appears first)

(Note 2:. The motor EM-210 has a box-reduction 2X1 "Two-to-one" means that each two steps for motor, only one will be given in the reduction, then, as is controlling the motor and wants to use the reduction will have to make two complete turns in engine to complete one in reduce, if not, the reduction may be removed "broken", without no prejudice to the motor)

(Tip 1:. Use cutting pliers to remove the plug that comes in engines, it's easier to handle, and plug in breadboard)

(Tip 2:. If using an integrated circuit as the ULN2803, which is a well known IC to control stepper motor, watch the current and voltage of the motor EM-210 because it works with 0.42A and the maximum current in CI is 0.5A)

(Hint 1:. These values​​, characteristics of motors EM-211 and EM210 were raised based on several analyzes that I accomplished using a multimeter and assembly of small circuits aided by an Arduino board, so if someone disagrees and has better analysis please contact us so we can enhance and help more people who need this information)