Printer stepper motors

[OliTech]

Hello
I am looking for some advice with regard to the use of printer stepper motors in building a 3D printer. I have dimantled a couple of old printers that I had one being an old A3 HP pen plotter and the other one was a Epson 1520 ink jet printer.
The stepper motors on the HP are 6 wire which consist of a twisted pair that connect to shaft output end of the motor which look like the power supply to the motor and a 4core tape that connects to a circuit board mounted on the back of the motor. The Epson stepper motors are 5 wire. I would be pleased if anybody could provide me with the specification for the HP stepper and also if the 5 wire stepper motor is suitable and also what type of controller boards would be suitable.
Thanks to all the other posts on this subject which have been very helpfull to a complete novice.
Regards Phil

[EddyCurrent]

Looks like a motor with encoder output.
Found this re. 7314B300
http://www.genapro.com/cnc_misc.htm

also this
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/th...r-power.61093/

[OliTech]

Looks like a motor with encoder output.
Found this re. 7314B300
http://www.genapro.com/cnc_misc.htm

also this
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/th...r-power.61093/

Thank you for your reply. So does that mean that when the controller sends a command the motor the motor encoder then tells the controller when it has completed the command.
And would the controller have to be different from a normal controller or program?
Regards
Phil

[EddyCurrent]

Thank you for your reply. So does that mean that when the controller sends a command the motor the motor encoder then tells the controller when it has completed the command.
And would the controller have to be different from a normal controller or program?
Regards
Phil

No, but sort of. If you look up servo motors you will see in your case that it's a small DC motor and the 4 wires provide feedback to the motor controller. The feedback could consist of parameters like speed, angle, direction.

[OliTech]

No, but sort of. If you look up servo motors you will see in your case that it's a small DC motor and the 4 wires provide feedback to the motor controller. The feedback could consist of parameters like speed, angle, direction.

Thanks again I will have a look at servo motors and how they are controlled to see if it is practical to use them. With regard to the other motors which I think are stepper motors I have seen comments that a 5 wire stepper motor is not suitable and needs to be converted to 6 wire if possible by removing the common ground.
Regards
Phil

[Christian Knuell]

Hi,

Servo motors are very difficult to control. They need special, often quite expensive controllers and can be a real pain to set up properly.
I also wouldn't rely on old printer steppers too much. They are designed for relatively high speeds but have very low torque. Everything needs to run absolutely smooth or you'll loose steps.

Christian