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[on:]

What's RainbowDuino?

A valuable duino with extensive control and driving capacity, for quantity usage.

Applications:

Control over LED matrix or Robotic, extremely easy wiring.

Features:

Slim Cost: No on-board USB-UART chip, trimmed for cost reduction,  Separate UartSB or wireless module will be provided for USB connection.

Replacable MCU: Program offline and plug in, you may also choose any compatible MCU you prefer to use.

Extensive Control capability: Multiplexed I/O port with 74HC595 [ch65288]or more integrated bi-directional ICs, suggestion welcomed).

Enhanced Driving Capacity: 8 Transistor-Enhanced channel, each provides 500mA max.

Power line Cascade: Power pin on both sides, ready to connect between adjacent module with shunt .

Communication Cascade: I2C port on both sides, ready to connect between adjacent module with shunt.

Alpha version







>> Project page


Pending for suggestions.

Thanks for any suggestion or concerns ^^

[Reply #1 on:]

Looks interesting....

Are the driver channels enough to run, say, a 6v DC motor?
Can you give a ball-park estimate of the price?

Thanks,

[Reply #2 on:]

The spec said 500mA/channel.  I would think a 6V motor starts around 1.5-3 amps for a tiny one.

And motors give the driver circuit a nasty kick-back, so the driver would have to be hardened against that, I'm not sure if this one would be able to take it.

[Reply #3 on:]

ckiick - The initial idea is to drive LED matrixes, we haven't tested 6v motor with it. As Oracle comment it might be too high load to mess the driver circuit. May be a separate power and stronger driver could be included, we would need to weight the options.

The price we targed would be about $15-25 ea., preferrally sold in 5 or 10 pcs bundles.

Thank you for the suggestions!

[Reply #4 on:]

Actually, Seeedstudio since you're developing so many innovative products and always looking for suggestions, I do have an idea.  

Can you make a motor shield that can handle cheap hobby motors (around 3 volts, 3 amps)?  Most of what I see available is built around the L293D, which has a maximum current of about 0.6A/channel and doesn't play well with motors under about 6 volts, which simply won't work with the cheap motors.

I like the software interface for ladyada's shield (as simple as motor.setSpeed(100); motor.run(FORWARD) as well as a similarly simple stepper motor interface.

The only drawback to ladyada's shield is it can't drive my toy motors.

[Reply #5 on:]

I think we will have a separate shield or board for motor.  

TA7279 should be good enough fo 3V, 3A. Let us try it out and stock some more motor...after this weekend. ;D

[Reply #6 on:]

I meant as a separate shield, not part of Rainbowduino.

3V, 3A should be good, the guideline I was looking at was something like the Tamiya twin-gearbox motors and 3V, 3A is perfect for them.  I'd also like to see support for 2 steppers like the ladyada shield.

Also, Rainboduino looks really nice.  I was going to build the same around MAX7221 chips for the red-green matrix I bought from you, but I haven't had a chance and the perfboard pattern I normally use isn't suitable.  It would be so much easier to just buy your shield instead of making mine from scratch.

[Reply #7 on:]

I just sampled some solenoids that are 12V 600mA, and if they switch fast enough, I'll be interested in driving a largish number of them.  A strong "driver shield" will be my second order of business.

[Reply #8 on:]

Any update on these? I would definitely buy once available...