Design and Implementation of Multi-axis Programmable stage
controller with Geared Servo Motor Using Embedded
Processor
Multi axis stage controllers are used for the purpose of programmable
stages, where the user can develop a system by sending ASCII commands to
control the movement of a linear stage in micron level. In this project a dual
axis stage controller drive is attempted for linear stage positioning in
horizontal and vertical axis. This project will drive the stage motors on an
equatorial mount for the purpose of linear stage positioning. The main
complications in the circuit come from having two driven motors and from
the necessity of having slow motion control on both axes. A low-level
device driver is also developed to make the system general purpose
programmable. The system receives ASCII commands from serial emulation
software in PC and controls its position accordingly. An embedded
microcontroller is used for the purpose of transmitting and receiving
commands from PC and to drive the dual axis stage drive according to the
user commands. Low-level drivers would interact with the hardware to
achieve the desired functionality.
Specifications:
Embedded Processor: AT89C51
Stepper Motor controller: ULN2003
Embedded Firmware: Embedded ‘C’ - Kiel IDE.
PC Interface: UART
Driver Development: VC++

Objective:
- To design a dual axis stepper controller driver for linear stage control
- To develop a device driver for the hardware
- To develop low level instruction set to make it general purpose
programmable
- To provide an application software in PC for motion control using the
driver.
Block Diagram:
Stage X Stage Y
Driver & Isolator Driver & Isolator
For Stage X For Stage Y
RS232
PC Power
PC Reset
Interface Microcontroller
AT89C51
Crystal
Application Software Window

Details of the Block Diagram
Reset Hardware – to initialize the processor
Oscillator Hardware – to provide a clock source to the processor –
(Frequency = 11.0592MHz)
PC interface – to interface the hardware with personal computer
Driver & Isolator stage – Provides the current boosting for respective
stages and provides isolation.
Stages – Horizontal stage and vertical stages respectively.
Embedded Microcontroller – AT89C51 – 8 bit processor /4KB
Flash/128B RAM.
Uses
Used in all equipments where accurate positioning is essential.
Used in programmable stages – linear, rotary, goniometric
Used in precision instruments.