Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!nic.unh.edu!newshost.unh.edu!rg
From: rg@msel.unh.edu (Roger Gonzalez)
Subject: Advice wanted: motor control chips/amplifier boards?
Message-ID: <RG.92Oct14213543@nymph.msel.unh.edu>
Sender: news@newshost.unh.edu (USENET News System)
Organization: Denning Mobile Robotics
Distribution: comp
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 02:35:43 GMT
Lines: 32


Being a lazy software engineer with more money than patience with a soldering
iron, I'd like suggestions for the best price/feature balance for motor
control chips and for amplifier boards.

I'm going to be using two 36v motors with some sort of encoder rigged up on
the output shaft between the motor and wheel.  (Differential drive critter)

I'm looking at using two HCTL1100 (?) chip, around $40 a pop, but I could
probably get them at a discount from work.  I've seen an amplifier board that
had everything I need (PWM, dc/dc convs etc) on it but it cost about $280.
And I would need two of em.

So I may just wire up one of the things from the back of McComb's book.

I hope to use one of these $300 sbc's that are advertised in Embedded Systems
or in Circuit Cellar INK.  A lot of them seem to have oodles of digital and
analog i/o lines.

Any suggestions for other simpler motor control chips or cheaper amp boards?

-Roger
--
ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS:  Pieces of plastic and metal, crudely fashioned to
  bear a limited, superficial resemblance to real flowers, but with no
  credible attempt to match their internal complexity in terms of form,
  function, or behavior.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Really smart computers.

Roger Gonzalez - rg@msel.unh.edu     (508) 658-7800 (fax -2492)
Denning Mobile Robotics, 21 Concord Street, Wilmington MA 01887
