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Controlling a motor from computer

Rickmc3280

Dec 29, 2013
1
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
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1
Hi,

I am new here and I have a few questions in order to get me started.

The project that I am working on is controlling a treadmill motor via PC and/or monitoring the revolutions per minute from the sensor. I am completely new to Electronics. I have a hobby kit that I have barely used but would like to learn where to start.


The Idea:

Interface a computer program to a treadmill and controll it by touchscreen using windows or linux.


What My question is:

What components will I need, how can you get a computer to control how much power is getting to the motor without potentially frying the computer?
 

Stese

Dec 27, 2013
27
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Dec 27, 2013
Messages
27
Hi,

I'm fairly new here, so I apologise if I step on any toes...

One way you can control a motor with a computer, would be to use a Raspberry Pi. (http://www.raspberrypi.org)

It has pins on the GPIO (General Purpose IN/OUT) header that specifically cater for PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) which will allow you to control the speed of the motor. Other GPIO Pins on the board also can be used as inputs for the RPM Sensor, and other hardware you might wish to use.

Please bear in mind, that the Pi is designed as a teaching tool, with a focus on programming, so you might not be able to find a program already written to do what you want it to do, and thus, you'll be encouraged by the Pi Community to write the software yourself!

Regards,

Steve
 

Harald Kapp

Moderator
Moderator
Nov 17, 2011
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Nov 17, 2011
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In addition to the computer you will need a motor controller that is capable of controlling the treadmill's motor. You need to know the specs of the motor (type of motor, voltage and current required etc.). With that information you can look for a suitabel controller.
You may want to read the information here to help you get started.

Once you have the controller, you need to hook it up to the computer. How this is done depends on the controller and your choice of computer. Possibly a serial connection (RS232, USB) can be used, so you don't have to tinker with the hardware.
 

Thedarkb

Sep 7, 2013
17
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
17
If I were you I'd get a large transistor and put the power to the motor through that and use some device with pwm to control it, as for power you should just use a generic transformer of the correct voltage.
 
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