Stepping.
While I wait for my Bog-stock RAMPS 1.4 controller to come over on a slow boat, what is the real impact of picking 8, 16 or 32 microsteps per step on the controller?
My delta’s using 1/32 stepping, it makes prints. The next printer is a cartesian…what’s the impact of over or under selecting the stepping?
In theory it’s precision. However, in practice, it’s more about smoothness.
In theory having more microsteps means finer control over where the axis stops, however, as you introduce more steps, the reality of consistently parking the axis at the exact same spot for a given number of microsteps goes down. You’re attempting to ‘hover’ between two variable magnetic fields. Back pressure from the linkages, heat, voltage fluctuations all result in lower repeat-ability at the microstep level.
What they do, however, is aid in ramping up and down the speed and the result is faster acceleration, faster speeds and quieter drives.
Does processor capacity enter into it? (figure Atmega2560)
@Mike_Miller
processor capacity figures into over all step rate and computation regardless. More microsteps and you may find your top speed is limited.
@Chuck_McManis I have never seen the math on where the ceiling is on the 2560. I have heard it is more of a problem for the Delta’s due to the math involved. But never anything concrete for Cartesian bots.
Delta math isn’t as big an overhead as you’d think. It’s using a decimal equivalent of the output from trig, and that angle doesn’t change once the printer is nailed down to three equi-distant towers. So location calculation is just a couple of multiplications away.
I believe that reducing steps increases torque.