Micro Motor Controller – Code and Gerbers

For the Robox project,  I needed a board to program and control a servo and a DC motor – I could probably have used something off-the-shelf, but I prefer to have a board specialised for the job.

The board I designed features an ATtiny828 microcontroller with 16 general use IO, two PWM outputs to control two 6V servos and an Allegro A3916 dual h-bridge to control two DC motors (or one stepper motor) at up to 1A per channel. This is more of a general use motor control board and could be useful in a bunch of projects.

Project: Robox – Servo Temperature Drift

In my previous post I talked about modifying the gearbox of a continuous servo motor so that it span faster, albeit with lower torque. Since then I have been fighting with a new issue that was proving to be a show stopper. The issue is demonstrated in this video:

Project: Robox – Modifying Servo

I needed a servo for the robotic finger so that it could go forwards and backwards in a controlled manner to push the switches. Servos normally have limited rotation e.g. 180 degrees but I accidentally ordered a continuous servo which means that the motor spins continuously and instead of controlling the angle of the motor, you control the speed of rotation. This is obviously not OK because I would not be able to move the finger reliably. However I realised that it was well suited to the motor driving the threaded rod.

Mini Project: Fake Neon Signs

Neon signs are really cool, but they are also really expensive and big. I decided to develop a method to emulate the effect of neon signs while being cheaper and more accessible to the average person. In total, the project cost less than £20.

Project: Robox – Structure

I decided to make the whole thing out of wood and to use the laser cutter at uni to cut out all the pieces. There’s something about this construction technique that I really like.

Project: Robox – Beginning

Have you ever seen the “useless machine” robots that everyone makes. It’s just a box with a switch, and when you flick the switch, a robot arm pops out of the box and flicks it back – useless, hence the name.

Well I wanted to take it one step further.

Monkey RF – A 433.xx MHz radio snatcher

Monkey RF is designed to be a hand-held device for recording and replaying radio signals in the 433.xx MHz band. My inspiration came from the work that Samy Kamkar did regarding Garage Hacking and Car key spoofing. The idea is that by spoofing the right radio signals, you can pretend to be a car key, a garage opener, a door-bell and unlock a car, open a garage or ring a doorbell.