motor control

Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on Waveshare ESP32 robotic arm kit with 5+1 DoF supports ROS2, LeRobot, and Jetson Orin NX integration

Waveshare ESP32 robotic arm kit with 5+1 DoF supports ROS2, LeRobot, and Jetson Orin NX integration

RoArm M3 Pro and RoArm M3 S High Torque Serial Bus Servo Robotic Arm Kit

Waveshare has recently released the RoArm-M3-Pro and RoArm-M3-S, a 5+1 DOF high-torque ESP32 robotic arm kit. The main difference between the two is that the RoArm-M3-Pro features all-metal ST3235 bus servos for durability and longevity, on the other hand, the RoArm-M3-S uses standard servo motors which are less durable for long-term use. These robotic arms feature a lightweight structure, a 360° omnidirectional base, and five flexible joints, which together create a 1m workspace with a 200 grams @ 0.5m payload. A 2-DOF wrist joint enables multi-dimensional clamping and precise force control. It integrates an ESP32 MCU, supporting multiple wireless control modes via a web app, it also supports inverse kinematics for accurate positioning, curve velocity control for smooth motion, and adaptive force control. The design is open source and with ROS2 compatibility, it allows secondary development via JSON commands and ESP-NOW for multi-device communication. Compatible with the LeRobot AI framework, […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on FluidNC-compatible CNC controller supports 6 stepper drivers, web-based configuration

FluidNC-compatible CNC controller supports 6 stepper drivers, web-based configuration

6x CNC A FluidNC compatible CNC controller

US-based CNC and motion control developer Bart Dring has designed the 6x CNC Controller FluidNC-compatible CNC controller board built around an ESP32 (pre-programmed with FluidNC) module and including 6 external stepper motor drivers with 5V signals. It allows configuration, upgrades, and control via a web browser. The controller also includes individual step/direction controls and LED indicators for easy setup. It offers eight input ports for limit switches, probes, and controls, along with multiple spindle control options, including RS485 VFD, 0-10V, PWM, relay-based, brushless motor (BESC), and laser PWM with enable signals. Additionally, it has two 3A MOSFETs for relays or solenoids, a MicroSD card slot for local G-code storage, and an expansion socket for GPIO extenders or pendant interfaces. 6x CNC Controller specifications Wireless module – Espressif Systems ESP32-WROOM-32E ESP32 dual-core microcontroller 4MB flash 2.4 GHz WiFi and Bluetooth LE connectivity, built-in PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD card socket for […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on Infineon PSOC Control C3x real-time Cortex-M33 MCUs are designed for motor control and HVAC systems

Infineon PSOC Control C3x real-time Cortex-M33 MCUs are designed for motor control and HVAC systems

infineon PSOC Control C3 MCU for for Motor Control and Power Conversion

Infineon recently launched the PSOC Control C3x family of Arm Cortex-M33 MCUs for real-time control applications in motor control and power conversion systems. The family includes 18 MCUs categorized into two lines, the Entry Line (C3P2, C3M3) and the Main Line (C3P5, C3M5). These MCUs can be used for various applications including home appliances, industrial drives, robots, light electric vehicles (LEVs), solar systems, and HVAC systems. The Entry Line operates at up to 100 MHz and supports a 12-bit SAR ADC with a sampling rate of up to 6 Msps, making it suitable for basic motor control and power conversion tasks. In contrast, the Main Line offers higher performance with up to 180 MHz operation, a faster 12-bit SAR ADC up to 12 Msps, and 4-channel High-Resolution PWM (HRPWM) for precise control. It also supports Wide Bandgap (WBG) switches for high-frequency power systems. Other features of this MCU include DSPs, FPUs, […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on ESP32-based Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) for Raspberry Pi supports DDSM400 hub motors

ESP32-based Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) for Raspberry Pi supports DDSM400 hub motors

Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) Raspberry Pi DDSM motor driver

Waveshare has recently launched DDSM Driver HAT (B), a compact Raspberry Pi DDSM (Direct Drive Servo Motor) motor driver designed specifically to drive the DDSM400 hub motors. This board is built around an ESP32 MCU and supports wired (USB and UART) and wireless (2.4GHz WiFi) communication. Additionally, the board features a physical toggle switch, which lets it choose between the ESP32 control or USB control modes. On ESP32 control mode you can control the device through a built-in web application. In the USB control mode, the motor driver can be controlled via USB from a host computer sending JSON commands. An XT60 connector is used to power the board, and programming is done through a USB-C port that connects to the ESP32. The board is suitable for robotics projects, especially for mobile robots in 6×6 or 4×4 configurations. Waveshare DDSM Driver HAT (B) specifications: Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-WROOM-32E ESP32 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on OpenFlexture Microscope is an open-source, 3D-printed microscope based on Raspberry Pi 4 SBC and Camera Module v2

OpenFlexture Microscope is an open-source, 3D-printed microscope based on Raspberry Pi 4 SBC and Camera Module v2

OpenFlexure Microscope

The OpenFlexture Microscope is a DIY, open-source, 3D-printed microscope built around the Raspberry Pi 4, a Raspberry Pi Camera Module v2, and a choice of optics or various qualities up to lab-grade optics. It can be motorized using low-cost geared stepper motors and can achieve a resolution of up to around 100 nanometers I found out about the OpenFlexture Microscope in one of the sessions at the upcoming FOSDEM 2025 event whose description partially reads: The OpenFlexure Microscope is an open-source laboratory-grade digital robotic microscope. As a robotic microscope, it is able to automatically scan microscope slides creating, enormous multi-gigapixel digital representations of samples. The microscope is already undergoing evaluation for malaria and cancer diagnosis in Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Philippines. As an open project, our key goal is to support local manufacturing of microscopes in low-resource settings. [..] high-quality consistent documentation has enabled thousands of microscopes to be built […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on GigaDevice GD32H75E – A 600MHz Arm Cortex-M7 MCU with an EtherCAT SubDevice Controller

GigaDevice GD32H75E – A 600MHz Arm Cortex-M7 MCU with an EtherCAT SubDevice Controller

Gigadevice GD32H75E GDSCN832

GigaDevice has launched its first EtherCAT SubDevice Controller with the GDSCN832 along with the 600 MHz GD32H75E Arm Cortex-M7 microcontroller series which incorporates the EtherCAT SubDevice Controller. The GH32G57E microcontroller also comes with 1024KB SRAM, 3840 KB flash with protection, up to two Ethernet PHY, USB Full Speed and High-Speed interfaces, and a range of peripherals and timers. Both products are made for the industrial automation market and are suitable for servo control, variable frequency drives, industrial PLCs, and communication modules. Gigadevice GD32H75E specifications: CPU – Arm Cortex-M7 32-bit processor core operating at 600 MHz frequency Memory and Storage 512KB AXI SRAM 512KB RAM shared (ITCM/DTCM/AXI) memory 3840 KB on-chip Flash memory with security protection to prevent illegal code/data access External memory controller (EXMC) for SRAM, PSRAM, ROM, and NOR Flash Accelerator – Filter arithmetic accelerator (FAC) and Trigonometric Math Unit (TMU) Industrial communication 2x Ethernet PHYs (YMJ6 parts only) […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on Renesas RZ/T2H Cortex-A55/R52 industrial MPU and Dev Board support EtherCAT, PROFINET, and TSN

Renesas RZ/T2H Cortex-A55/R52 industrial MPU and Dev Board support EtherCAT, PROFINET, and TSN

Renesas RZ T2H EVKIT

Renesas RZ/T2H industrial MPU is the most powerful member of its RZ/T2 series of real-time microprocessors. The MPU features four Arm Cortex-A55 CPUs for application tasks and two Cortex-R52 CPUs for real-time control. It supports 9-axis motor control with 3-phase PWM timers, delta-sigma interfaces, and encoder interfaces. It also supports Industrial Ethernet protocols like EtherCAT, PROFINET, and TSN. These features make it ideal for industrial applications such as industrial robots, PLCs, motion controllers, and CNC machines. Renesas launched the RZ/T2L single-core Arm Cortex-R52 MPU just last year, and before that, in 2022, they launched the RZ/T2M dual Arm Cortex-R52 MPU. The RZ/T2L was just a cost-down version of RZ/T2M with an EtherCAT controller, compared to those old controllers the latest RZ/T2H supports 9-axis motor control and compatibility with various industrial Ethernet protocols. Renesas  RZ/T2H specifications: CPU 4x Arm Cortex-A55 (64-bit) clocked at up to 1.2GHz with 32KB L1 I/D cache, 1MB L3 cache 2x […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on LILYGO T-Bao tiny AI robot combines ESP32 and Kendryte K210 RISC-V chip, features camera and display

LILYGO T-Bao tiny AI robot combines ESP32 and Kendryte K210 RISC-V chip, features camera and display

LILYGO T Bao AIOT dev platform 

The T-Bao AI robot is a compact embedded device/robot that combines an ESP32 and a K210 RISC-V microcontroller and can perform face recognition and robotics applications. This compact device features a 1.54-inch 240×240 capacitive touch screen, a 2MP OV2640 camera, a MAX98357A I2S audio amplifier, a DRV8833 motor driver, an MPU6050 6-axis motion sensor, and an AXP202 PMU for power management.  Additionally, it supports USB charging, offers LEGO blocks compatibility, and can move around with integrated caster wheels. These features make it usable for educational projects, robotics, IoT applications, and embedded systems prototyping. LILYGO T-Bao specifications SoCs Kendryte K210 dual-core 64-bit RISC-V processor @ 400 MHz with 8MB on-chip RAM, various low-power AI accelerators delivering up to 0.5 TOPS ESP32-D0WDQ6-V3 dual-core Xtensa LX6 processor, 240 MHz, 16MB Flash, 8MB PSRAM Display – 1.54-inch capacitive touch LCD (240×240) Camera – 2MP OV2640 with rolling shutter, UXGA (1600 x 1200) resolution, 180-degree […]

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