I am working on a motor control system using the RoboClaw 2x30A motor controllers. I have successfully connected a single RoboClaw via the Motion Studio software and can control the motors through PWM without any issues.
However, I need to use multiple motor controllers for my setup. I am trying to interface with the RoboClaw through code using the library available on your website, but I am not receiving any response from the motor or the RoboClaw. When I send a direct PWM signal to the controller’s address, the lights on the RoboClaw blink, but the motors do not move.
I wrote a code to read the incoming data, and the output I observed is as follows:
(0 0 17 6D 0 0 17 6D BF F5)
Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a solution for this.
Here is a brief description of my setup:
- I am coding either with the Arduino IDE .
- The ESP32 is connected as follows:
- Pin 17 → S1
- Pin 16 → S2
- GND → GND
The connection works perfectly with the Motion Studio software, but I encounter this issue when attempting to implement control via code.
Has anyone faced a similar issue, or can you offer any suggestions for resolving this?
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
code:
#include <HardwareSerial.h>
HardwareSerial roboclaw(1); // Using UART1
#define ROBOCLAW_RX 16 // ESP32 RX (connected to RoboClaw's TX)
#define ROBOCLAW_TX 17 // ESP32 TX (connected to RoboClaw's RX)
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200); // Serial monitor
delay(2000); // Wait for 2 seconds
Serial.println("ESP32 started!");
// Configure GPIO pins
pinMode(ROBOCLAW_RX, INPUT);
pinMode(ROBOCLAW_TX, OUTPUT);
Serial.println("GPIO pins initialized!");
// Start UART communication
roboclaw.begin(38400, SERIAL_8N1, ROBOCLAW_RX, ROBOCLAW_TX);
Serial.println("UART initialized!");
// Continuously send command to Motor 1
roboclaw.write(0x80); // RoboClaw address
roboclaw.write(0x88); // Forward command for Motor 1
roboclaw.write(100); // Speed value (0-127)
Serial.println("Motor 1 running!");
delay(100); // Wait for a short time
// Read data from RoboClaw and print to serial monitor
if (roboclaw.available()) {
Serial.print("Response from RoboClaw: ");
while (roboclaw.available()) {
byte data = roboclaw.read(); // Read byte from RoboClaw
Serial.print(data, HEX); // Print data in hexadecimal format
Serial.print(" "); // Space between bytes
}
Serial.println("\nResponse received!");
} else {
Serial.println("No response from RoboClaw!");
}
}
void loop() {
// Continuously send drive command to motor
roboclaw.write(0x80); // RoboClaw address
roboclaw.write(0x88); // Forward command for Motor 1
roboclaw.write(100); // Speed value
delay(100); // Send commands at intervals
}
