Here is the video demoing the motor controller. I used a Mr.Basic robot platform and included a little review about that platform. For direction control a top mounted servo spins a Sharp gp2y0d810z0f IR sensor. The sensor has a single data line which is pulled low when a object comes within 10cm of the sensor.
Code (CCS V5)
Project File
main.c
This is the robot I quickly built to demo the Low Voltage Motor Driver. If is based off the Mr. Basic platform and MSP-430 Launchpad. It has a 6.4V lithium battery as the main power source which feeds into the voltage regulators on the Launchpad.
For direction control a top mounted servo spins a Sharp gp2y0d810z0f IR sensor. The sensor has a single data line which is pulled low when a object comes within 10cm of the sensor.
Most of the code for the hardware is already written. Just need to finish the controls and it will be ready for a video.
Here is the Booster Pack built. Tested and it works! I will be posting the code tomorrow after I clean it up some. Includes PWM for both channels and encoders (untested however). I will release a version with and without the encoders.
They just arrived today! This weekend I will solder one up and if it works I will start selling them.
I finally think I have a version of the motor driver that I like. I tweaked the traces around the 470uF cap to make the ground path better. I also changed the nSleep jumper header from a 2-pin to a 3-pin. The user can hard wire the nSleep high or low.
I finished up the PCB for the Motor Controller Booster pack. The PCB is all open source and you can download the files here.
Files (Eagle V6)
This is a Low Voltage, 2A motor controller BoosterPack for the Ti LaunchPad. So far I have not found a motor controller yet so I decided to make one. This is the first in many BoosterPacks I will be designing and selling. It uses the Ti DRV8833PWPR Dual H-bridge Motor Driver chip. The chip is capable of 2Amps per motor channel and a motor voltage from 2.7V to 10.8V. Logic voltage for the DRV8833 is 3.3V which makes it a perfect match for the MSP-430 LaunchPad.
The BoosterPack has the nSleep pin broken out from the DRV8833. Using this pin will put the DRV8833 to sleep to minimize current draw. If this pin is not needed or the LaunchPad is lacking I/O there is a jumper to pull the nSleep pin high.
