Group_Assignment: Output output_devices

SERVO MOTORS

I selected Servo motors as output devices beacause I will use them latter in my final project to control the rocket's fins with input from the flight computer.

I am using the the XIAO ESP 32 C3 this time to send siganls to the servos. I want to be able to just put them in motion. I am also using MG60 Servo motors model.

MG996R

Find the MG996R Datasheet Here

I experimented with the with the MG996R motor directly with the XIAO. Both motors I had caused glitches in the XIAO, after which we found, with my instructor Lambert that, they have short circuit issues.

I was going to use the same board I built in electronics design week, but after upgrading the design and printing it I found that we had no mofsets readily available at our FabLab, and my XIAO ESP32 C3 was bugging a lot, after not having an easy time with the short circuited motors. So I switched to the Arduino Nano.

I improvised and hooked everything on the arduino directly and run a servo sweep example with one motor.

I made a group of 5 parallel pinheader for the VCC (5V) and another group of 5 GND (ground) pins. 4 for the 4 VCC (4 motors) and the remaining 1 sending all of them to the Arduino, and the same for the GND. This is basically what the PCB did.

Then I connected pin headers to the Arduino to latter connect with the motors. 4 pinheaders on the D5, D6, D8, and D10 for the 4 PMW. and then another for the GND and another for the VCC connectons (5V).

Next I connected the 4 VCCs (4 motors) to the 5 pinner, and connected the 5th pin to the arduino's 5V. Then the 4 GNDs (4 motors) to their 5 pinner group, and connected the last of the 5 pins to one of the GND's on the Arduino. As well as each PMW from each motor to one the digital pins mentioned above (D5, D6, D8, D10).

Then I ran the edited code to support 4 motors instead of the initial 1 motor, and it worked! I was happy with my outputs

After a while I figure I could bypass or repurpose the intended mosfet connections. I used a jumper wire to connect the Servo VCC from Mosfet's S pin to the arduino's 5V.

The 2nd blue wire on the right side. Then I could run the servos from the board.

Latter on I realised I miss understood the addignment. I have to design a new microcontrolled board for this.

Some documentations and references I followed through the process, mainly include the ESP32 WROOM 32 data sheet, and connection scetches to different devices. A Minimal ESP32-based Circuit

So, I designed a new multipurpose board, but on this page I only cover the part that necessary for this assignment.

See the datasheet below:

The code I ran was an extract and modification from my final project's flight computer servo control

#include <ESP32Servo.h>

          #define SERVO_PIN_X 12
          Servo servoX;

          void setup(){
            servoX.attach(SERVO_PIN_X);
            Serial.begin(115200);
          }

          void loop(){
            for (int pos = 0; pos <= 180; pos += 1) { // goes from 0 degrees to 180 degrees
              // in steps of 1 degree
              servoX.write(pos);    // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
              Serial.println(pos);
              delay(15);            // waits 15ms for the servo to reach the position
            }
            for (int pos = 180; pos >= 0; pos -= 1) { // goes from 180 degrees to 0 degrees
              servoX.write(pos);    // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
              Serial.println(pos);
              delay(15);            // waits 15ms for the servo to reach the position
            }
          }