I am trying to synchronize two dc motors with their own controllers. The controllers are name brand and use a 10k pot to control the speed. I have a duel 10k pot and would like to be able to "trim" one of the motors to stay in sync when the speed is changed.
First, I tried adding a second 10k pot in series with one of the sides of the duel pot, one lead to the wiper, one to one side. That didnt seem to do anything. Then I wired the second pot in parallel with one leg of the duel pot using all three leads. This kinda worked, the two motors changed speeds together but if I synchronized them using the second pot then changed speeds for both motors with the duel pot the two motors were no longer in sync.
The purpose of all this is to run an accessory with a conveyor belt. I would like the teeth of a gear like part to run at the same rate as the conveyor underneath it. I was going to do it mechanically using one motor but for a couple reasons it would be great to do it with two and not have to manually sync them every time the speed is changed.
Thanks in advance!
Philip
Electronic – How to syncronize two motors with one pot
controlmotorspeed
Best Answer
You are trying to synchronize the motors on the basis of the input to their velocity loop. I doubt this will get you the results you desire.
What you need is often called Electronic Gearing. The Wikipedia page on Motion Control describes it briefly. Put simply, Electronic Gearing requires a position control loop on one motor, slaving it to another on the basis of position. The master motor runs in a speed control loop and the slave motor runs in a position control loop using the position of the master motor as input. As a result, the slave motor appears to track the position of the first motor independent of speed or load.
You didn't post a link to the datasheet for your motor controllers, but I'd start by determining if they support it natively; many do.