Hello, I am wondering what the best SMI and motor driver board I would need to run a wiper motor and playback through VSA. I am somewhat familiar with servo motor operation using VSA, but have never tried a DC motor. What all would I need between the laptop (which cable?) to the DC motor. Right now I DO have a picovolt from frightprops.com (frightprops.com/picovolt-0975.html), but I am not sure if that is something I would be able to use with VSA. Really hoping someone can get me pointed in the right direction and/or suggest useful products for my application!
Thank you very much!
Dave
actually, i am finding out that the Picovolt will not be useful for my application, so i would like a recommendation for the SMI, motor driver board, and any cables I will need. Thank you!
Hi,
Indeed, the Picovolt is meant for manual control and will not allow you to control your DC motor with VSA.
A possible solution that would be simple to implement would be to use a servo controller board that is compatible with the VSA software and connect that board to a R/C-input DC motor controller.
Example:
VSA > SSC-32U (or using the SSC-32U Bluetooth package) > Sabertooth RC > your DC motor
You can browse our DC motor controller catalog here. Just make sure the DC motor controller you choose meets the requirements for your DC motor and also can be controller using an R/C-type input.
Sincerely,
thats perfect- i already have ssc-32u board, so if i purchase the sabertooth RC that you posted the link to, the wires on the wiper motor would go directly to that? Also, could i use a power supply for the board or do i have to use batteries? I am very new to all of this, and I am learning as i go, so i appreciate all your help!
The Sabertooh RC can control 2 DC motors by receiving R/C type signals as control inputs.
Here is an example of using a Sabertooth RC with a BotBoarduino (sending servo signals):
In your case, simply replace the BotBoarduino (bottom green board) with the SSC-32 / SSC-32U (which sends servo R/C type signals) and it will work.
Simply make sure to have the right switches on the Sabertooth controller.
Sincerely,
wow, thats perfect. simple enough. is there a power supply you would recommend aside from the battery?
Since it is a regenerative motor driver, a battery is required to absorb the power that is supplied from the motor driving during braking/reverse movement.
In the case that you do wish to use a fixed power supply, you would need to place a battery in parallel with it to absorb the power coming back from the motor driver. Please note that such a setup is not supported operation and can easily damage your device in a way that is not covered by warranty.
We strongly recommend to use a battery with the Sabertooth for proper functioning. You can view our available batteries here. Use the categories on the left pane to choose the type of batteries you are interested in. Simply make sure they match well with the voltage required by your DC motors and the amount of current they can draw.
Sincerely,
Hello, thanks for all your help so far. Hopefully this is my last question. The wiper motor is 12v and 1.0A with no load. In my set up I think it will not have to work very hard. Since I am using it as part of a VSA scene, I mostly asked about a power supply vs battery bc I worry about what would happen if the battery died. I purchased power supplies to use for the servos and logic on the SSC-32 as well, although most of the diagrams i have viewed use batteries as a power supply- in the SSC-32 users guide it describes this situation. So my question is, in your opinion, which battery would be best to ensure uninterrupted run of the VSA scene when powering the 12v, 1.0A (no load) motor. the motor will be programmed to just rotate on slow speed for 1-2min at a time with no reverse movements. Also, would you get rechargeable batteries, or purchase multiple replacements? As you can see, I am in unfamiliar territory, but eager to learn. I am not sure how long these batteries last, and if cooler weather in the fall will make the batteries die faster. I would like to order today if possible, and will as soon as I hear back from you. Thank you very much for your patience.
Hi,
Please note that the connection between the Sabertooth control inputs and the SSC-32 do not have the red wire (VCC) placed in. It is removed from the connector on the SSC-32’s side. This is very important to prevent electrical issues / shorts / etc.
We recommend that you buy a rechargeable battery pack of 12 V DC to connect to your Sabertooth and power the motors. You can also use a regular 6-9 V DC power adapter to power the SSC-32 (through the VL +/- pins).
Here is a list of parts for a possible solution:
]12 V DC NiMh rechargeable battery (1600 mAh / 2800 mAh, large number of mAh means more capacity/charge)/:m]
]Battery charger/:m]
]6 V DC Power adapter for SSC-32 or a 6 V DC NiMh rechargeable battery (1600 mAh / 2800 mAh)/:m]
Sincerely,
Hello,
I asked a question last week and got a very helpful answer. I have 2 more questions to complete my project. I am using VSA and an SSC-32U controller to control the movement of 10 hitec mini servos. I also have a PS2 controller/accessories (Product code: RB-Lyn-578) that i purchased through this site to help record the precise movements. However, I am unsure if I now need another board between the SSC-32U and the PS2 controller? (I keep seeing the PS2 controller connected to BotBoarduino in schematics online?).
I now have VSA, SSC-32U, power supplies and cables, also Sabertooth RC to control a wiper motor…what do I need to start recording and saving my movements with the PS2 controller/accessories (Product code: RB-Lyn-578). Also, if i need another board, what kind of power supply would i need? this is becoming much more involved than i had anticipated, so hopefully i will not need much more!
and 2nd question: I have a 5VDC/ 3amp power supply, and a 7.5VDC/1 amp power supply. Will either of these be sufficient to power the SSC-32U and the 10 mini servos? I have read that 6volts is nominal for the VL and also for the servos, but i have also seen torque ratings for these servos measured at 7.2volts. I am not sure if either of these would be sufficient, or if I need a different, 6VDC power supply?
Thank you very much,
Dave
Hi Dave,
The SSC-32U cannot be connected directly to the PS2 controller. In Lynxmotion kits, the BotBoarduino is used to read the values from the PS2 controller and send appropriate commands to the SSC-32U by translating the actions from the user/controller into the proper servo values needed.
If we understand your goal properly, you want to use a the PS2 v3 controller to move your servo motors around and “record” the movements. Where do you expect those movements to be recorded and how will they be used afterwards? Are you not going to use VSA to move the servo motors?
Sincerely,
Ok, so do i need to purchase the BotBoarduino and connnect to SSC-32? I was planning to record in VSA, and was told it is much easier to coordinate movements with PS2 controller as opposed to other methods in VSA. Now I am wondering if you can use the PS2 controller through your laptop and program in VSA? I originally thought this was what needed to be done, but started seeing the controller in schematics with BotBoarduino and it is throwing me off.
Hi Dave,
If VSA allows for controlling servos using a PS2 v3 controller directly, then you would (in theory) simply have to connect the PS2 controller to your computer by USB using an adapter such as this one.
Connecting a PS2 controller to a Lynxmotion BotBoarduino will not allow you to record the motions into VSA at is will have no way of knowing what motions are being done.
We will contact the VSA manufacturer to determine if it is possible to connect a controller to control the motions of your servos directly (and record those motions). We will get back to you as soon as we have more information.
Sincerely,
oh wow, thank you very much! I can also give you more details on my project and/or reference the forum where I have read about this if it would be easier. I just looked it up again and saw they used “an old gaming joystick”. so hopefully the PS2 controller will work the same. thank you again!
Hi Dave,
Here is a copy of the response from the manufacturer:
With VSA you can create movements either by creating events manually (e.g., through the plot or event windows) or by recording them. I think the question is about the recording method.
The input device for recording can be the mouse or any joystick/gamepad properly recognized by Windows. I am not sure how this particular PS2+adapter combination is recognized. The question would be: does it appear as a joystick to Windows?
You are in luck, since our adapter for the PS2 v3 controller does show up as a game controller (“joystick”) in Windows since it is a HID-compliant game controller device.
Concerning the voltage source, it is preferable to use at least 6 V DC with enough current. For 10 small servos, the 6 V 2 A power supply might be enough if there is very little load of if they do not all move at once. If the load is a bit high, you may be safer using 6 V 3 A power supply. Since you already have a battery charger for your project, you could instead go for an NiMh 6 V battery similar to the 12 V you purchased for the wiper motor. Such as this one (1600 mAh) and this one (2800 mAh).
As for connecting it, we recommend you do not remove the connector / cut the cable as this increases your chances of shorts / electrical shock. Instead, obtain this small adapter for barrel connectors to wire, which you can then connect to the SSC-32U. It also allows you to more easily reuse the power supply later. If you instead go for a battery, you can use this wiring harness (you should probably have one for your 12 V battery also).
As for the size of the project, do not be intimidated too much, you are doing great! You are asking all the right questions at every step and seeking help before buying products that may not work (or worse, damage each other)! We foresee great success for your project!
That being said, as you continuing building this project and complete it, you may want to post about it on the forum, too. You can do so here. We are certain the RobotShop community would be interested in knowing more about such a project.
Sincerely,
ok, thank you very much!..i am ordering the USB adapter for controller and 6v 3A power supply now. i already have the other items you mentioned. as soon as i get everything in i will try to get things rolling and post on the forum. The only question i have left before trying to assemble concerns the sabertooth and disconnecting the red wire at SSC-32 end to avoid electrical problems. do i just cut the wire? or pull it right out of the harness?? completely remove the red wire?
That is a very good question and it just so happens we have a Lynxmotion A4WD1 (which uses the Sabertooth Dual 12A RC) open and being worked on, so here is a quick picture of what we did to the red wire in the connector. Our preferred method is to just remove the red wire from the connector but keep it intact (we covered it with heat shrink) otherwise, in case you want to re-use the Sabertooth with a device that actually needs it (without external power / inconvenient to have a 2nd power source).
ok, perfect, that is what i was going to do, but wanted to make sure. ok, as soon as the last of my parts get in i will update in forum! thank you for all your help; you really cleared up so much of the fog!
We are glad to help and are looking forward to pictures & videos of your project in action! Good luck!
Sincerely,
Hello,
Wellllll, I am back. I had to take a few days away from the project. I have all servos in place and wires run…SSC32u and sabertooth mounted and connected to power supplies. Lights on the boards indicate that there is power. I set the baud rate to 115200. However there does not to seem to be any communication between my laptop or the SSC-32u. I have connected the 2 using a USB to mini USB that I purchased from this site. I downloaded and installed the FTDI chip VCP driver recommended from the SSC-32U manual. I am now uncertain what to try next. I might have seen an instance or 2 in my searches where the USB cable has been problematic for some. Do you have any ideas for me to try from here? i am lost and i would love to start programming through VSA today…oh also, i tried using VSA and SSC-32 Servo sequencer utility and neither work.