Description
■ ArbotiX-M Robocontroller
The ArbotiX-M Robocontroller is at the heart of Interbotix Robot Arms. This versatile robot controller is an advanced control solution for BIOLOID and DYNAMIXEL based actuators. As an Arduino compatible microcontroller the Arbotix Robocontroller also benefits from a huge open source community of libraries and examples. Since its release in 2010 the Arbotix has quickly become a favorite among builders worldwide from hobby to high level research.
■ The ‘M’ Stands for Mini
This new board is over 25% smaller than the original ArbotiX!
The new ArbotiX-M features:
- A smaller footprint (61mm X 61mm)
- 10 more general purpose I/O pins
- Barrel Jack for DC Power
- Separate Power Bus for 4 PWM Digital outputs for Hobby Servos
- No dedicated I2C header (I2C is still available on D16 = SCL D17=SDA)
- No DC Brushed Motor Controller
- Not compatible with the RX-Bridge
- 16MHz AVR microcontroller (ATMEGA644p).
- 2 serial ports, 1 dedicated to Bioloid servo controller, the other to the XBEE radio/FTDI programming
- 3 TTL DYNAMIXEL 3-pin style ports onboard, plug your TTL AX/MX DYNAMIXEL servos directly in!
- 28 Digital I/O, 8 of which can also function as analog inputs
- Servo style 3-pin headers (gnd, vcc, signal) on all 28 I/O pins
- XBEE radios sold separately, not compatible with PRO series
A typical setup will require 2 XBEE radios and an UartSBee w/ USB cable to be able to wirelessly control your robot from your computer or with an ArbotiX Commander - This board requires either an FTDI cable or ISP for programming.
For an FTDI cable we recommend the Sparkfun FTDI – USB Cable, alternately you can use our USB AVR Programmer.
■ ArbotiX supports a variety of DYNAMIXEL servos.
The ArbotiX hardware and firmware are compatible with:
The ArbotiX robocontroller is an advanced control solution for AX/MX/RX/EX DYNAMIXEL servos and BIOLOID based robots. It incorporates a powerful AVR microcontroller, XBEE wireless radio, dual motor drivers, and 3-pin servo-style headers for digital and analog I/O.
As an Arduino compatible board, the ArbotiX can be used with the Arduino IDE. InterbotiX has also released an open source library and sample programs to help with controlling DYNAMIXEL AX/MX/RX/EX servos. You can find detailed information on setting up the ArboitX here.
