This paper aims to investigate, both experimentally and theoretically, the electromechanical dynamic interaction between a driving stepping motor and a driven laboratory belt-transporter system. A test-rig imitates the operation of a robotic device in the form of a working tool-carrier under translational motion. The object under consideration is equipped with measurement systems, which enable the registration of electrical and mechanical quantities. Analytical considerations are performed by means of a circuit model of the electric motor and a discrete, non-linear model of the mechanical system. Various scenarios of the working tool-carrier motion and positioning by the belttransporter are measured and simulated; in all cases the electric current control of the driving motor has been applied. The main goal of this study is to investigate the influence of the stepping motor control parameters along with various mechanical friction models on the precise positioning of a laboratory robotic device. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.