Pololu Qik 2s9v1 Dual Serial Motor Controller

The qik 2s9v1 is Pololu’s second-generation dual serial motor controller. The compact module allows any microcontroller or computer with a serial port (external RS-232 level converter required) or USB-to-serial adapter to easily drive two small, brushed DC motors with full direction and speed control. It provides ultrasonic, 8-bit PWM speed control via an advanced, two-way serial protocol that features automatic baud rate detection up to 38.4 kbps and optional CRC error checking. Two status LEDs give visual feedback about the serial connection and any encountered error conditions, making debugging easy, and a demo mode allows easy verification of proper operation.

The improvements over the previous generation and competing products include:

• high-frequency (ultrasonic) PWM to eliminate switching-induced motor shaft hum or whine
• a robust, high-speed communication protocol with user-configurable error condition response
• visible LEDs and a demo mode to help troubleshoot problematic installations
• reverse power protection on the motor supply (not on the logic supply)

For a more advanced, higher-power version of this controller, please consider the qik 2s12v10. For a simpler carrier of the qik’s motor driver, please consider the TB6612FNG dual motor driver carrier, and for a robot controller based on the qik’s driver, please consider the Baby Orangutan and Orangutan SV-328 robot controllers and 3pi robot, which connect the TB6612 to a user-programmable AVR microcontroller.

November 27, 2013 update: Pololu have changed this product by replacing the large, silver electrolytic capacitor with a much smaller ceramic capacitor. This lowers the profile of the board but does not affect functionality at all. The main product picture shows this new version; the rest of the pictures on this product page still show the previous version with the tall electrolytic capacitor.

Main Features of the Qik 2s9v1

• Simple bidirectional control of two DC brush motors.
• 4.5 V to 13.5 V motor supply range.
• 1 A maximum continuous current per motor (3 A peak).
• 2.7 V to 5.5 V logic supply range.
• Logic-level, non-inverted, two-way serial control for easy connection to microcontrollers or robot controllers.
• Optional automatic baud rate detection.
• Two on-board indicator LEDs (status/heartbeat and serial error indicator) for debugging and feedback.
• Serial error output to make it easier for the main controller to recover from a serial error condition.
• Jumper-enabled demo mode allows initial testing without any programming.
• Optional CRC error detection eliminates serial errors caused by noise or software faults.
• Optional motor shutdown on serial error or timeout for additional safety.
• Supports daisy-chaining the qik to other qiks and Pololu serial motor and servo controllers, allowing the control of up to hundreds of motors and servos with a single serial line.
• Comprehensive user’s guide.

Specifications

Included Hardware

The qik ships with a 16×1 straight 0.100" male header strip, a 12×1 right angle 0.100" male header strip, and two red shorting blocks. This hardware offers several options when it comes to making connections to the qik.

For the most compact installation, wires can be directly soldered to the qik pins themselves. For less permanent connections, the 16×1 straight header strip can be broken into a 12×1 piece and two 2×1 pieces. The 2×1 pieces can optionally be soldered into the jumper pins, and the 12×1 header strip of your choice can be soldered into the qik control pins. This allows connections to the qik via custom-made cables that have female headers on them, or the qik can simply be plugged into a breadboard. Using the right angle header allows for a compact profile or for vertical mounting into a breadboard; using the straight header allows for breadboarding as shown in the picture above.

Sample Code

Pololu have written a basic Arduino library for the qik dual serial motor controllers that makes it simple to interface these controllers with an Arduino. The library handles the details of serial communication with the qik, allowing two brushed DC motors to be controlled easily.

People often buy this product together with:

Pololu Micro Metal Gearmotor Bracket Pair - Black

100:1 Micro Metal Gearmotor HP 6V

Micro Maestro 6-Channel USB Servo Controller (Assembled)

Dimensions

General specifications

Notes:

1

Without included hardware.

2

Autodetects baud rates between 1200 and 38,400 bps, or can be set for a fixed 38,400 bps baud rate.

3

Can also be configured to use 15.7 kHz, 7.8 kHz, or 3.9 kHz PWM frequencies.

4

On motor voltage only; logic voltage does not have reverse protection.

Documentation and other information

• 

  Qik 2s9v1 User’s Guide (Printable PDF)

  User’s guide for the Pololu Qik 2s9v1 Dual Serial Motor Controller.

• 

  Pololu Serial Transmitter utility for Windows (Printable PDF)

  A simple serial transmitter utility for Windows that lets you transmit sequences of bytes at a selectable baud rate to a selectable COM port. This program can be conveniently used to send commands to Pololu's serially controllable devices.

File downloads

• Dimension diagram of the Pololu Qik 2s9v1 Dual Serial Motor Controller (298k pdf)

• 3D model of the Pololu Qik 2s9v1 Dual Serial Motor Controller (5MB step)

• Drill guide for the Pololu Qik 2s9v1 Dual Serial Motor Controller (29k dxf)

  This DXF drawing shows the locations of all of the board’s holes.

Recommended links

• Arduino library for the Pololu qik dual serial motor controllers

  This is a library for the Arduino that interfaces with the Pololu qik 2s9v1 and qik 2s12v10 dual serial motor controllers. It makes it easy to control two brushed DC motors with a simple serial interface.

• Rust library for qik

  This is a library for controlling qik dual serial motor controllers written by Andy Grove in the Rust language.