Data Sheet

RoboClaw Solo Motor Controller Data Sheet
(c) 2016 Ion Motion Control. All Rights Reserved.
7
Control Modes
RoboClawhas4mainfunctionalcontrolmodesexplainedbelow.Eachmodehasseveralcongurationoptions.Themodes
canbeconguredusingIonStudio.RefertotheRoboClawUserManualforinstallationandsetupinstructions.
RC
UsingRCmodeRoboClawcanbecontrolledfromanyhobbyRCradiosystem.RCinputmodealsoallowslowpowered
microcontrollerssuchasaBasicStamptocontrolRoboClaw.Servopulseinputsareusedtocontrolthedirectionand
speed.Verysimilartohowaregularservoiscontrolled.RCmodecanbeusedwithencoders.RefertotheRoboClawuser
manualforsetupinstructions.
Analog
Analogmodeusesananalogsignalfrom0Vto2Vtocontrolthespeedanddirectionofeachmotor.RoboClawcanbe
controlledusingapotentiometerorlteredPWMfromamicrocontroller.AnalogmodeisidealforinterfacingRoboClaw
withjoystickpositioningsystemsorothernonmicrocontrollerinterfacinghardware.Analogmodecanuseencodersif
properlysetup(SeeEncodersection).
Simple Serial
InsimpleserialmodeRoboClawexpectsTTLlevelRS-232serialdatatocontroldirectionandspeedofeachmotor.
SimpleserialistypicallyusedtocontrolRoboClawfromamicrocontrollerorPC.IfusingaPC,aMAX232oranequivalent
levelconvertercircuitmustbeusedsinceRoboClawonlyworkswithTTLlevelinputs.Simpleserialincludesaslaveselect
modewhichallowsmultipleRoboClawstobecontrolledfromasignalRS-232port(PCormicrocontroller).Simpleserial
isaonewayformat,RoboClawcanonlyreceivedata.EncodersarenotsupportedinSimpleSerialmode.
Packet Serial
InpacketserialmodeRoboClawexpectsTTLlevelRS-232serialdatatocontroldirectionandspeedofeachmotor.Packet
serialistypicallyusedtocontrolRoboClawfromamicrocontrollerorPC.IfusingaPCaMAX232oranequivalentlevel
convertercircuitmustbeusedsinceRoboClawonlyworkswithTTLlevelinput.InpacketserialmodeeachRoboClawis
assignedauniqueaddress.Thereare8addressesavailable.Thismeansupto8RoboClawscanbeonthesameserial
port.EncodersaresupportinPacketSerialmode(SeeEncodersection).
USB Control
USBcanbeusedinanymode.WhenRoboClawisinpacketserialmodeandanotherdevice,suchasanArduino,is
connectedcommandsfromtheUSBandArduinowillbeexecutedandcanpotentialoverrideoneanother.Howeverif
RoboClawisnotinpacketserialmode,motormovementcommandswillnotfunction.USBpacketserialcommandscan
thenonlybeusedtoreadstatusinformationandsetcongurationsettings.