User Manual

RoboClaw Series
Brushed DC Motor Controllers
RoboClaw Series User Manual
14
BASICMICRO
Encoder Power (+ -)
The pins labeled + and - are the source power pins for encoders. The positive (+) is located at
the board edge and supplies +5VDC. The ground (-) pin is near the heatsink. On ST models all
power must come from the 5V screw terminals and the GND screw terminals.
Main Battery Screw Terminals
The main power input can be from 6VDC to 34VDC on a standard RoboClaw and 10.5VDC to
60VDC on an HV (High Voltage) RoboClaw. The connections are marked + and - on the main
screw terminal. The plus (+) symbol marks the positive terminal and the negative (-) marks the
negative terminal. The main battery wires should be as short as possible.
Do not reverse main battery wires. Roboclaw will be permenantly damaged.
Main Battery Disconnect
The main battery should have a disconnect in case of a run away situation and power needs to
be cut. The switch must be rated to handle the maximum current and voltage from the battery.
This will vary depending on the type of motors and or power source you are using. A typically
solution would be an inexpensive contactor which can be sourced from sites like Ebay. A power
diode rated for the maximum current the battery will deliver should be placed across the
switch/contactor to provide a path back to the battery when disconnected while the motors are
spinning. The diode will provice a path back to the battery for regenerative power even if the
switch is opened. The diode should be rated for 1/10th the maximum current expected.
Motor Screw Terminals
The motor screw terminals are marked with M1A / M1B for channel 1 and M2A / M2B for channel
2. For both motors to turn in the same direction the wiring of one motor should be reversed from
the other in a typical dierential drive robot. The motor and battery wires should be as short
as possible. Long wires can increase the inductance and therefore increase potentially harmful
voltage spikes.
Easy to use Libraries
Source code and Libraries are available on the Basicmicro website. Libraries are available for
Arduino(C++), C# on Windows(.NET) or Linux(Mono) and Python(Raspberry Pi, Linux, OSX, etc).
!