stepper motor

noun

: a motor whose driveshaft rotates in small steps rather than continuously

called also stepping motor

Examples of stepper motor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The company has used silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to produce an entirely new wristwatch motor for analog watches that’s half the size and roughly three times as efficient in comparison with the standard stepper motor now used in wristwatches. IEEE Spectrum, 17 Nov. 2023 Those watches, and today’s watches, used a kind of synchronous direct-current stepper motor called a Lavet motor, invented in 1936 by Marius Lavet, a French engineer. IEEE Spectrum, 17 Nov. 2023 To provide further stability, the ultraArm P340 also features stepper motors, which improves its speed and provides repeatable positioning accuracy to ±0.1mm. IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2023 Doctor Volt used various parts from the Samsung Blu-ray player, including a laser diode, stepper motor to move the laser, its optical pickup unit, and focus coil, for their project. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 22 Dec. 2022 The current generated by a stepper motor is similar to the sinusoidal current of a sound wave. Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 16 Aug. 2016 Which is what makes this DIY organ made out of stepper motors, built by Youtuber Josh Sheldon, so impressive: How does this organ work? Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, 16 Aug. 2016 Its electronics then activate a set of stepper motors, which make the hands turn smoothly to display the right reading on the face. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 25 Oct. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stepper motor was in 1961

Dictionary Entries Near stepper motor

Cite this Entry

“Stepper motor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stepper%20motor. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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