A motor control (PWM) question ...

There is some coverage of PWM in the book, but I'm thinking more of a general background.

I am not impressed by many motor amplifiers. The fact that you buy them doesn't automatically mean they are better than what you could build. Some I've seen are little more than power transistors, simple control circuit, and a heat sink. Others are very sophisticated and worth the money. It is hard to know just by looking at them.

I remember having an argument with an engineer a long time ago about a PWM control system. I was describing the theory and he just did not get it. He understood the duty cycle aspect, but he didn't quite grasp why the LC filter with the reverse polarity clamp diode was important. Coming from a linear world, his instinct was to dump the power out of the circuit, not back into it. It took him a little experimentation, but he eventually got it.

Right now I am actively working on a page, with text, pictures, and C/++ code that shows how to take a PS/2 mouse, rip it apart, and make two motor encoders and interface it with a PC. I've got all the hardware working, and I've got the I/O stuff written, I just need to tie it together.

Overall, I'm working on a sub-$500 robot platform. I'm not sure if I want to sell it or if I want to see if I can publish it, or if I just put a paypal button on it.

Reply to
mlw
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John Rahn wrote: : Thanks, that's what I figured, but found that a lot of the : documentation is kinda confusing on that subject ...

Well,

Remember his "mostly"? Frequency plays some part too. Anyone that has raced RC cars can tell you that response to speed changes and the "punch" that a motor has depend on the frequency of the PWM signal as well as the PWM percentage. To avoid the "dissertation" lets just say that cheapo motors will want a lower PWM frequency than expensive ones. The higher the frequency, the "softer" the motor response and power can tend to be. For most cheap motors, 500Hz to 1KHz is your best power frequency - It'll sing, but they'll run find. Your $50 Escap motors will be very happy with 20KHz PWM frequencies. You'll see that you will have more torque with the lower frequencies, but you'll have smoother power transfer with the higher ones.

Sound like fun? DLC

Reply to
Dennis Clark

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