6.Stepper configuration:

You can first take a look at our tuto stepper. The wiring is identical to that with the arpschuino².

 New in 1.2  Driving as:

Let's start by choosing the type of control, depending on the driver/motor pairs that we are going to use. Here, 3 modes:
stp/dir driver (0), this is the mode suitable for motors controlled by standard drivers Pololu or boxed drivers.
unipl full stp (1), unipolar full pitch, for unipolar motors such as 28BYJ-48 with a direct transistor driver.
unipl half stp (2), unipolar half-step, for the same material but for half-step piloting.

Note that the stp/dir mode allows driving 4 motors per port, the other two modes only allow 2 motors per port.

Stepper to config:

We then choose the motor that we want to configure, we can also configure them all at once by choosing "all".

Active :

A switch to define if the motor will be active or not. If you only use two motors, for example, put the other two in "inactive" mode.

Steps per revolution :

The number of steps per revolution must correspond to that which you have set in your driver. For a 200-step motor set in quarter-step, we will set at 800 (200x4).

Revolution/minute :

These two parameters relate to speed: minimum speed and maximum speed in revolutions per minute. So the speed reached by the stepper motor will be between these two values, depending on the level of the DMX channel controlling the speed.

The maximum speed achievable depends on the motor used, if you set too high a speed the motor will block...

Number of revolutions :

In perform mode (see below), this parameter defines the total stroke of the motor in number of revolutions. You can put a floating point number here. It is not used in continuous mode.

From firmware version 1.2, this parameter can be set by autocalibration (see below).

Direction (inverted/uninverted):

You can reverse the default direction of rotation of the motor.

 New in 1.2  Acceleration:

Since version 1.2 of the arpschuino firmware, you can adjust the acceleration of the motor. The value to enter is expressed in revolutions/minute per second. For example, if the acceleration is set to 100, the motor will take one second to go from standstill to 100 rpm. A value can be entered with two decimals.

action :

In perform mode, the position of the motor is precisely controlled, according to the stroke defined previously. The first DMX parameter (or the first two, see below), defines the position. The second (or third), speed.

In continuous mode, the motor rotates continuously. The first DMX parameter controls the direction, the second the speed.

8bits/16bits :

This option is only available for perform mode. 8 bits for position control with one DMX channel, 16 bits for two channel control such as a moving light.

 New in 1.2  Switches:

Since version 1.2 of the arpschuino firmware, each motor can be equipped with a zero switch and an end switch.

Enable:

Each of the switches can be activated or not. You can have only zero switch, only end switch or both.

Switch input:

Here we select the input where to connect the switch. You can use the other port, put in input mode, or the four inputs of the input port. Remember to check that the output is not already used by another motor.

Homing at startup:

If you activate this option, the motor will automatically reset to its zero point each time the card is started. Be careful not to activate it if you have not yet set up the switch, otherwise the motor will search forever for its starting position!

Homing/autocalibration speed:

Here we adjust the speed of homing and autocalibration (see below), it is relative to the maximum speed defined above. It can be between 1/16 times the maximum speed and the maximum speed.

Do autocalibration now! :

This button is available when the zero switch and the end switch are active. After a press, the motor will go to its final position (end switch) then return to its starting position (zero switch) counting the steps. The number of revolutions to perform will then be automatically defined in the Number of revolutions field (see above). The board can then restart taking this new data into account.

7.DC motor configuration:

This mode is intended for controlling DC motors with classic H-bridge type L298N or driven in speed/dir mode like the cytron MD30C. Hobby brushless motors are controlled with the servo mode. See our DC motor tutorial for more info.

Each motor is driven by two DMX channels. The first controls the direction, the second the speed.

Again, each motor can be configured individually:

 New in 1.2  Driver type:

Choose H-bridge classic or speed/dir depending on the driver used.

Direction :

You can reverse the default direction of rotation of the motor.

Threshold :

Often the motors do not start from the first DMX steps. A motor will for example start at 9% (25 DMX steps in 0/255). You can therefore adjust this threshold, so that the motor starts without downtime from the first DMX steps. This value is defined in DMX steps (0/255) but the server will also display the value in percentage.

 New in 1.2  PWM frequency:

This value defines the PWM frequency and must be between 500hz and 312500hz. In H-bridge classic mode, it is better to choose a frequency beyond the audible frequencies so that the motor does not "whistle". We will therefore choose a value greater than 20000hz. 25000hz, the default is fine.

For motors in speed/dir mode, refer to your driver's documentation. It is generally a value of the order of 1000 or 2000hz.

 New in 1.2  Switches (from version 1.2):

As with stepper motors, zero and end switches can be activated.

Enable:

Activate the switch.

Switch input:

Here we select the input to connect the switch. You can use the other port, put in input mode, or the four inputs of the input port. Remember to check that the output is not already used by another motor.