motor control

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on Lattice Semi Certus-NX-09 and Certus-NX-28 small footprint, low-power FPGAs feature optional PCIe Gen2 interface

Lattice Semi Certus-NX-09 and Certus-NX-28 small footprint, low-power FPGAs feature optional PCIe Gen2 interface

Lattice Certux-NX FPGA

Lattice Semiconductor has added two new devices to its small, low-power Lattice Certus-NX FPGA family, namely the Certus-NX-28 and Certus-NX-09 available in multiple packages and designed for communications, computing, industrial, and automotive applications. The Certus-NX FPGAs enable power-efficient PCIe Gen 2 with up to 4 times lower power compared to other FPGAs, and ultra-small form factor with up to 2 times more I/O per mm2 and PCIe and Gigabit Ethernet implementation in packages as small as 36 mm2. The company also claims high reliability and security with up to 100 times lower soft error rate, built-in SEC (Soft Error Correction) and memory block ECC for SEU (Single-Even Upset) protection, and up to 12 times faster instant-on configuration performance. The Lattice Certus-NX family is now comprised of four SKUs: LFD2NX-9, LFD2NX-17, LFD2NX-28, and LFD2NX-40 whose main highlights are shown in the comparison table below. The Certus-NX are available in various packages […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on Recore A8 – An Allwinner A64-powered 3D printer control board with TMC2209 stepper drivers

Recore A8 – An Allwinner A64-powered 3D printer control board with TMC2209 stepper drivers

Recore A8 all in one desktop 3D printers control board

The Recore A8 is an all-in-one 3D printer control board built around the Allwinner A64 SoC. The board includes six soldered TMC2209 stepper motor drivers, cooled by an 8-layer PCB for durability. To make the connection better the board features industry-standard JST PH connectors for secure cable connections. Most of the connectors are flexible and support end-stops, Neopixels, servos, inductive probes, and BLTouch. Two Expansion headers on the board allow for two additional stepper motor drivers. Additionally, the board supports various temperature sensors, including regular thermistors, thermocouples, and PT100/PT1000 sensors (PT100 requires an extra board). Elias Bakken has been working on this board since 2019 and in our post about the earlier Recore A5, we have seen how Elias leverages Allwinner A64’s 300 MHz AR100 core to control real-time I/Os. Recore A8 specifications: SoC – Allwinner A64 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor running at 1 GHz, with AR100 32-bit core @ 300 MHz, Mali-400MP2 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Nuvoton NuMicro M2L31 Arm Cortex-M23 MCU embeds up to 512KB high-durability ReRAM, 168KB SRAM

Nuvoton NuMicro M2L31 Arm Cortex-M23 MCU embeds up to 512KB high-durability ReRAM, 168KB SRAM

Nuvoton NuMaker-M2L31KI development board

Nuvoton NuMicro M2L31 is a family of Arm Cortex-M23 microcontrollers clocked up to 72 MHz, equipped with 64KB to 512KB high-durability ReRAM (Resistive Random-Access Memory) with fast write speeds, 40KB to 168KB SRAM. The microcontroller supports 1.71V to 3.6V operating voltage, can operate in the -40°C to 105°C temperature range, and offers a wide range of interfaces available through packages as small as WLCSP 25 (2.5 x 2.5 mm)  and up to LQFP128 (14 x 14 mm). Arm introduced the Cortex-M23 core in 2016 together with the Arm Cortex-M33 core, but while the latter is widely integrated in a large range of designs, we’ve seen fewer Cortex-M23 microcontrollers with some examples being Microchip SAML10/L11 (2018) and more recently, the Renesas RA0 family. Nuvoton adds another option with the Numicro M2L31 that also happens to integrates ReRAM non-volatile memory. Key Features: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M23 core running up to 72 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on ESP32-based CNC controller board targets pen plotters and lasers, runs FluidNC open-source firmware

ESP32-based CNC controller board targets pen plotters and lasers, runs FluidNC open-source firmware

FuildNC ESP32 CNC controller

FluidNC “TMC2209 Pen/Laser CNC Controller” is an ESP32-based 2-axis CNC controller that runs FluidNC open-source firmware and takes up to two TMC2209 stepper drivers to drive pen plotters and laser engravers ESP32 wireless modules have been used in a range of 3D printer and CNC controllers for years with boards such as Grbl_ESP32 CNC breakout board, Phi MainBoard 5LC 3D printer controller, and the Makerbase MKS DLC32 board we found in TwoTrees TS2 laser engraver and TTC 450 CNC router running MKS-DLC32-FIRMWARE open-source firmware.  The FluidNC TMC2209 Pen/Laser CNC Controller offers yet another option and a different open-source FluidNC firmware that is an evolution of the firmware for the aforementioned Grbl_ESP32 that also happens to work on the MKS DLC32 board… FluidNC “TMC2209 Pen/Laser 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 […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 5 Comments on Serial Bus Servo Driver HAT (A) can drive up to 253 servos simultaneously

Serial Bus Servo Driver HAT (A) can drive up to 253 servos simultaneously

Waveshare Bus Servo Driver HAT (A)

Waveshare has recently introduced the Serial Bus Servo Driver HAT (A) ESP32-powered servo motor controller for the Raspberry Pi designed to drive up to 253 serial servos simultaneously. The servos can be controlled via UART or USB through the Pi SBC or used as a standalone controller for a robotics project. The board has a wide input voltage range of 9 to 25 volts and features an onboard XT60 connector, a screw terminal, and a DC barrel jack any of which can be used as power input. Besides that, the board features an RS485 port a TTL Servo header, and a UART control switch for convenience. Previously we have written about the Suptronics X200 HAT multifunction expansion board for the Pi with servo support, as well as the ELECFREAKS Wukong 2040 which can also be used to drive servos. Waveshare Serial Bus Servo Driver HAT specifications CPU – Espressif ESP32-WROOM-32 dual-core […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Maker Uno RP2040 review with Arduino IDE using micro servo, soil moisture sensor, ultrasonic sensor, and I2C OLED modules

Maker Uno RP2040 review with Arduino IDE using micro servo, soil moisture sensor, ultrasonic sensor, and I2C OLED modules

Maker Uno RP2040 review Arduino IDE

Today, We will review the Cytron Maker Uno RP2040 development board combining the Arduino UNO form factor with the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller that makes it programmable with the Arduino IDE (C/C++), Micropython, or CircuitPython. The board is suitable for both beginners and advanced users with a convenient port layout that includes a “Maker” connector plus six Grove connectors for sensor modules and a header for four servos besides the Arduino UNO headers. The board offers two power options: USB (5V) via the USB-C connector or a single-cell LiPo/Li-Ion battery via the LiPo connector. Cytron Maker Uno RP2040 specifications SoC – Raspberry Pi RP2040 dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ processor @ up to 133 MHz with 264 KB SRAM Storage – 2MB flash USB – USB-C port for power and programming Expansion Arduino UNO headers for shields 6x Grove Ports (Digital I/O, PWM Output, UART, I2C, Analog Input) 1x Maker port compatible […]

Posted on by Tomisin Olujinmi - 1 Comment on FOCn ESP32-S3-based, medium-power BLDC driver module supports SimpleFOC

FOCn ESP32-S3-based, medium-power BLDC driver module supports SimpleFOC

focn board

European engineer, Matej Planinšek of PLab, has developed the FOCn — a medium-power BLDC driver module based on ESP32-S3 WiSoC capable of delivering up to 10A of continuous current. It is compatible with the SimpleFOC Arduino library making it easier to control BLDC (brushless direct current) and stepper motors with the field-oriented control algorithm. The developer was inspired to create the FOCn module when their search for a custom-made, SimpleFOC-compatible driver module that met all their requirements failed. The name is related to field-oriented control (FOC) and also means “face slap” in Slovenian, Matej’s native language. The driver module is based on the ESP32-S3 dual-core XTensa LX7 microcontroller which provides Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The microcontroller further supports ESP-NOW, a low-power and low-latency communication protocol, which makes it possible for multiple FOCn boards to talk to one another. FOCn driver module specifications: MCU – ESP32-S3 dual-core XTensa LX7 microcontroller @ […]

Posted on by Tomisin Olujinmi - No Comments on Toshiba M4K Group microcontrollers for motor control get expanded flash & memory capacity

Toshiba M4K Group microcontrollers for motor control get expanded flash & memory capacity

Toshiba M4K microcontroller

Toshiba has included eight new products with 512KB/1MB flash storage capacity and four packages in its M4K Group of Arm Cortex-M4-powered microcontrollers. The M4K Group is part of Toshiba’s TXZ+ Family Advanced Class, consisting of five groups of low-power, high-performance 32-bit microcontrollers. The new microcontrollers expand code flash memory to 512KB/1MB from the 256KB maximum supported by current products, and RAM capacity to 64KB from 24KB. They retain the Arm Cortex-M4 core, integrated code flash, and 32KB data flash memory (with 100K program/erase cycles). With different motor control options such as advanced programmable motor circuits, advanced 32-bit encoders, advanced vector engine plus, and three units of high-speed, high-resolution 12-bit analog/digital converters, these class of microcontrollers are quite capable of 3-motor control, even in small scale applications (64-pin). The new products with 1MB code flash separate the memory into two distinct 512KB areas, enabling memory swap and seamless over-the-air firmware updates, […]

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