Cuircuits and Wiring

I now move onto the circuitry of the project, one of the most important parts of the project. The motor controllers, XBee module and the motors themselves need to communicate effectively and be constructed in a discrete maner.

I start by collecting my parts. Two XBee series one modules, three L293D Motor controller H-Bridge Chips, three Kysan 1124101 stepper motors, matrix board and four 9V batteries plus 9V battery clips. I chose individual 9V batteries as an added safety feature. As this is essentially a prototype I just needed to test if the system would work together while being controlled with an XBee module. If I were to use any higher voltage or even just one power source for the motors and Arduino I run the risk of damaging the Arduino and other components. This is a low risk low cost method of prototyping a concept device.
 

 

I started by drawing up the circuit in Eagle so that I could work off the schematic. 

I then moved onto wiring up just one stepper motor on a breadboard. to confirm the circuitry worked with the XBee module. This allowed me to test out all of my components as some were second hand. After some variation I found the successful set up and was ready to continue with all my components in good working condition.

The wiring, I soon realized, was going to be difficult to manage due to the sheer amount of wires needed to run the L293D. I have since revised my PCB design for the final version (see later post). 

The soldering was not overtly difficult though I found that as the wires were in such close proximity there would be adverse effects. The metal core would start to melt the plastic cover and I had to replace a couple wires as the exposed metal would short the circuit.

This is the current working version of the circuitry. A revised version is in the works though I am happy that this version is working and I have been able to continue the programming of the Arduino.