Stepping motor controller and analog electronic timepiece

A stepping motor controller comprising:

• a pulse down counter for outputting a pulse down control signal for controlling to pulse down a main drive pulse in a first cycle or a second cycle longer than the first cycle;
• a drive pulse generator for outputting a main drive pulse or a correction drive pulse according to a pulse control signal and, in response to the pulse down control signal, pulsing down and outputting the main drive pulse;
• a motor driver for rotationally driving a stepping motor in response to the drive pulse from the drive pulse generator;
• a rotation detector for detecting whether or not a detection signal generated due to the rotation of the stepping motor during a rotation detection period of time has exceeded a reference threshold voltage;
• and
• a controller for outputting the pulse control signal for controlling the drive pulse generator to drive the stepping motor using one of a plurality of main drive pulses, the energy of each of which is different from the others, or a correction drive pulse, the energy of which is larger than each of the plurality of main drive pulses, based on detection result from the rotation detector,
• wherein the controller, when initializing the driving, sets the main drive pulse to that having a maximum energy and sets the generation cycle of the pulse down control signal of the pulse down counter to the first cycle to drive the stepping motor, and when pulsing down the main drive pulse to that having a predetermined energy, changes the generation cycle of the pulse down control signal of the pulse down counter to the second cycle.