I thought I could get away with utilizing the onboard 6V from my cannibalized motion platform…aka the orange thing…in order to power both the DC motors and my IOIO. My bluetooth connection was cutting out…indicating that I needed to introduce a separate power source for the board and for the motors.
My workaround didn’t pan out…time to rethink the build. Guess what I have on my desk:
Adafruit Motor Shield for the Arduino. Two good looking H-Bridges staring at me….that’ll do. I never thought I would find myself treating my Arduino gear as a scrapheap, but the day has come.
The H-Bridge will allow me to cross over (think of a capitol H) and provide bi-directional motion from the hardware level. 3.3V digital outputs…no more open drain needed (bonus.)
Anyhow, I ended up putting together a little test board…socket, some male pins, and eventually some wires for a more secure connection. Sucking some serious soldering fumes…
It looks sloppy, but here is the hardware in its entirety:
Here is a quick video of my testing. I fired up my IOIOSeek program, which has two simple digital outputs triggered via buttons…
Early success? Yep. Except for the early part…this has been more work than I had assumed. More EE work…hoping the UI and hardware containment goes smoothly. Tune back in.
Guinness, for the win. Cases at Costco currently $26.99.
This is not spam. I guarantee it.
^ my best Costco impulse buy in ages. Tremendous unit price. I think the dollar sign tossed you on the ? list….approved.
That is pretty sweet. Over my head, but awesome