Need a motor for your project, but not sure which type to get?

We stock a few different varieties on

ModMyPi, so hopefully this rundown on the difference between DC, Servo and Stepper Motors will
help you decide!
DC Motors
DC (Direct Current) Motors are two wire (power & ground), continuous rotation motors. When you
supply power, a DC motor will start spinning until that power is removed. Most DC motors run at a
high RPM (revolutions per minute), examples being computer cooling fans, or radio controlled car
wheels!
The speed of DC motors is controlled using pulse width modulation (PWM), a technique of rapidly
pulsing the power on and off. The percentage of time spent cycling the on/off ratio determines the
speed of the motor, e.g. if the power is cycled at 50% (half on, half off), then the motor will spin at
half the speed of 100% (fully on). Each pulse is so rapid that the motor appears to be continuously
spinning with no stuttering!
Servo Motors
Servo motors are generally an assembly of four things: a DC motor, a gearing set, a control circuit
and a position-sensor (usually a potentiometer).
The position of servo motors can be controlled more precisely than those of standard DC motors, and
they usually have three wires (power, ground & control). Power to servo motors is constantly
applied, with the servo control circuit regulating the draw to drive the motor. Servo motors are
designed for more specific tasks where position needs to be defined accurately such as controlling the
rudder on a boat or moving a robotic arm or robot leg within a certain range.
Servo motors do not rotate freely like a standard DC motor. Instead the angle of rotation is limited to
180 Degrees (or so) back and forth. Servo motors receive a control signal that represents an output
position and applies power to the DC motor until the shaft turns to the correct position, determined
by the position sensor.
PWM is used for the control signal of servo motors. However, unlike DC motors its the duration of
the positive pulse that determines the position, rather than speed, of the servo shaft. A neutral pulse
value dependant on the servo (usually around 1.5ms) keeps the servo shaft in the centre position.
Increasing that pulse value will make the servo turn clockwise, and a shorter pulse will turn the shaft
anticlockwise. The servo control pulse is usually repeated every 20 milliseconds, essentially telling
the servo where to go, even if that means remaining in the same position.
When a servo is commanded to move, it will move to the position and hold that position, even if
external force pushes against it. The servo will resist from moving out of that position, with the
maximum amount of resistive force the servo can exert being the torque rating of that servo.

Stepper Motors
A stepper motor is essentially a servo motor that uses a different method of motorisation. Where a
servo motor uses a continuous rotation DC motor and integrated controller circuit, stepper motors
utilise multiple toothed electromagnets arranged around a central gear to define position.
Stepper motors require an external control circuit or micro controller (e.g. a Raspberry Pi or Arduino)
to individually energise each electromagnet and make the motor shaft turn. When electromagnet A
is powered it attracts the gears teeth and aligns them, slightly offset from the next electromagnet B.
When A is switch off, and B switched on, the gear rotates slightly to align with B, and so on
around the circle, with each electromagnet around the gear energising and de-energising in turn to
create rotation. Each rotation from one electromagnet to the next is called a "step", and thus the
motor can be turned by precise pre-defined step angles through a full 360 Degree rotation.
Stepper motors are available in two varieties; unipolar or bipolar. Bipolar motors are the strongest
type of stepper motor and usually have four or eight leads. They have two sets of electromagnetic
coils internally, and stepping is achieved by changing the direction of current within those coils.
Unipolar motors, identifiable by having 5,6 or even 8 wires, also have two coils, but each one has a
centre tap. Unipolar motors can step without having to reverse the direction of current in the coils,
making the electronics simpler. However, because the centre tap is used to energise only half of each
coil at a time they typically have less torque than bipolar.
The design of the stepper motor provides a constant holding torque without the need for the motor to
be powered and, provided that the motor is used within its limits, positioning errors don't occur, since
stepper motors have physically pre-defined stations.
Summary
This is a rather condensed overview of a complicated and somewhat disputed field (especially
regarding the pros and cons of stepper vs servo!), but hopefully it should help you make a more
informed choice with your motoring needs!
DC Motors
Fast, continuous rotation motors Used for anything that needs to spin at a high RPM e.g. car
wheels, fans etc.
Servo Motors
Fast, high torque, accurate rotation within a limited angle Generally a high performance alternative
to stepper motors, but more complicated setup with PWM tuning. Suited for robotic arms/legs or
rudder control etc.
Stepper Motors

Slow, precise rotation, easy set up & control Advantage over servo motors in positional control.
Where servos require a feedback mechanism and support circuitry to drive positioning, a stepper
motor has positional control via its nature of rotation by fractional increments. Suited for 3D printers
and similar devices where position is fundamental.