Dynamixel Motors: Hardware Setup
Hardware components and cables are illustrated below. Numbers labelling each component in the image correspond to those in the following tables.
| Component List | |
|---|---|
| ID | Component |
| 1 | OpenCM 9.04 (controller) |
| 2 | OpenCM EXP485 (expansion board) |
| 3 | FTDI USB-to-Serial Board |
| 4 | AC/DC Power Adapter (12 V) |
| 5 | Dynamixel motor(s) |
| 6 | Laptop/PC |
| Cable List | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ID | Connection #1 | Connection #2 | Description |
| 7 | OpenCM 9.04 | FTDI USB-to-Serial board | 3-pin; yellow, green, black (serial comm.) |
| 8 | FTDI USB-to-Serial board | Laptop/PC | USB-A male to USB-B (micro) male |
| 9 | OpenCM EXP485 | Dynamixel motor | 3-pin or 4-pin (motor dependent) Dynamixel connectors |
Setup Procedure
1. Controller: The OpenCM 9.04 micro-controller should already be seated within the OpenCM EXP485 expansion board. The OpenCM 9.04 has been flashed and configured to run a 'serial tosser' upon power-up. All 3.3V TTL UART serial communication arriving from the PC (via FTDI USB-to-Serial board) is transcribed to a half duplex TTL (3-pin) or to a RS485 (4-pin) half duplex serial protocol that is forwarded on to the motors. Messages in the reverse direction (motors to PC) are also appropriately transcribed.
2. Connect (Controller-to-FTDI USB-to-Serial): Connect the green-yellow-black cable to the controller unit (4-pin connector) and to the red FTDI breakout board.
NOTE that the red FTDI breakout PCB may look slightly different (there are different variants of this board used in the lab). When connecting to the FTDI PCB, ensure that the cable's black wire is aligned with the GND pin (printed on the red FTDI PCB).
3. Connect (FTDI USB-to-Serial-to-PC): Connect the USB cable to the red FTDI PCB and to the laptop/PC. The USB-B micro male end should attach to the red FTDI board. The USB-A male end should be connected to an available USB port on the laptop/PC.
4. Connect Power: Connect the 12 V AC/DC power adapter to the OpenCM EXP485 expansion board (barrel jack). Connect the power adapter's 3-prong connector to an electrical outlet.
5. Connect (Controller-to-Motor(s)): Connect the Dynamixel motor cable (3-pin or 4-pin depending on motor model) to the OpenCM XP485 expansion board. All 3-pin connectors are connected to one another and, likewise, all 4-pin connectors on the OpenCM EXP485 are connected to one another. In other words, it doesn't matter which connector the motor cable is connected to on the micro-controller unit; 3-pin cables can be plugged into any 3-pin socket and, likewise, any 4-pin cable can be plugged into any 4-pin socket. All communication occurs on a serial communication bus, where each motor and controller are effectively individual 'drops' on the bus.
Connect the other end of the Dynamixel motor cable to the connector on the back of the motor.
6. Turn on Controller: Turn on the power switch, on the OpenCM EXP485 board. The controller board(s) and connected motors should now be powered. A red LED, on the OpenCM 9.04 controller (seated in the OpenCM EXP485 expansion board) should be illuminated.
