How to Choose a Mini DC Motor?
Before deciding how to select a mini DC motor, let’s learn the basics of what a miniature DC motor is. In general, a DC motor is a motor that converts DC electrical energy into mechanical energy. The movement of the DC motor is rotary. Because of its good speed adjustment performance, it is widely used in electric drives. When it comes to mini DC motors, they have a small size, low power & voltage, and their diameter is measured in millimeters.
- While considering how to choose, first consider how you plan to use it. That’s to say, the initial step is to decide how your DC motor will be used. For example, it could be for a smart home device, robot, fitness equipment, or something else.
- The second step is to analyze how it will be used in detail to find out what power supply and motor you should select. For AC motors & DC motors, the significant difference is the power source and speed. The speed of an AC motor is controlled by varying the current in the motor, while the speed of a DC motor is controlled by varying the frequency, usually with a frequency converter. For this reason, AC motors run faster than DC motors.
- If your motor is required to run continuously with a few gear adjustments, an asynchronous motor is likely a better choice.
- If precise positioning is required, a stepper motor is suitable.
- If there is no angle adjustment requirement and the application is dynamic, you should select a DC motor.
The features of a micro DC motor:
- Accurate and fast movement
- Speed can be varied by changing the supply voltage
- Easily installed, even in a battery-powered system
- High starting torque
- Can quickly start, stop, accelerate, and reverse
Mini DC motors are suitable for dynamic uses requiring high accuracy, particularly in terms of speed (such as elevators) or in terms of position (such as robots or machine tools).
- If you decide to select a miniature DC Motor, here are the specifications that you should know before purchasing.
- Output torque
- Output speed
- Maximum voltage and current (DC 12V is a common type offered by ZHAOWEI.)
- Size or diameter requirement (ZHAOWEI provides micro DC motors with OD ranging from 3.4–38mm.)
- Weight
- Once you’re sure about the parameters you need, the next step is to determine whether you need extra components. If you need to reduce the speed and increase the torque of the DC motor, a micro gearbox is a good choice. You can find additional tips in the How to Select a Micro Gear Motor article. If you want to have command of the speed and direction of the miniature DC motor, a motor driver will be needed. In addition, encoders are sensors that identify the speed and angle of rotation, and even position of the shaft. They can be applied on a robot joint, mobile robot, or conveyor system.
The speed of mini DC motors can be adjusted. For mini DC motors, the torque is large and the volume is small with relatively low noise. These motors have a wide range of uses. Miniature DC motors can be used in precision medical equipment, smart robot transmission, 5G communication equipment, smart logistics, smart cities, smart medicine, smart cars, printing machine tools, flame cutting, laser cutting, CNC machine tools, tool machinery, food packaging, automation, aviation equipment, semiconductor equipment, medical equipment, robots, manipulators, communication equipment, pharmaceutical equipment, printing equipment, packaging machinery, textile machinery, CNC machine tools, CNC pipe benders, parking equipment, measuring equipment, machine tools, precision monitoring systems, vehicle industry, automatic control system, and many other fields.
