Help with control by wire - circuit needed

Aug 06, 2004 3 Replies
T

I am after a PWM circuit that can be used to help me build a two wheeled carry cart. I will want to be able to control the the speed of two motors so I can intiate turns. Skid steer is the term I think. Forward and reverse also required. Control of cart will be done from a handheld unit connected by umbilical. Unsure as to put circuits with the switches in the handheld or in the cart with the batteries and motors. Any advice or help would be useful. Please don't suggest looking for help in the library or search engines as their seem to be so many variations of the PWM circuits and I have no idea which would suit my task.



Many Thank



Gadget


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C

Any of those circuits you found would most likely fit your task. It's really the circuit that is fed the PWM signal that is dependent on your application. Depending on the size of your motors, you'll need to amplify the power of the PWM signal to drive the motors, such as with an H-bridge.

However, another aspect of the overall controller to consider is complexity. You can make a PWM circuit using something as simple as some

555 timers, or as complicated as a microcontroller. Personally, I find the microcontroller route far simpler in the end, as it allows you to easily incorporate "intelligent" features into your design by simply reprogramming the controller. I prefer Atmel's AVR micros and the SP12 in-circuit programmer.
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J

Most of the simple PWM circuits you come across will be OK. Even something like a 555 feeding a TIP Darlington is quite capable of running a big golf-cart motor, so a couple of these types of PWM could do the job. Electronic reversing would need an H bridge. Much easier though with relays. regards john

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H

Do you mean a two wheeled balancing robot ??

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Or do you mean a two motor tracked robot

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or do you mean a three wheeled robot, where there is an idler wheel ?

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