Pico-Motor-Driver

DC Motor Driver Module For Raspberry Pi Pico
Driving Up To 4 x DC Motors

Overview

This is a DC motor driver module for Raspberry Pi Pico, driving up to 4 x DC motors

Features

Standard Raspberry Pi Pico header, supports Raspberry Pi Pico series.
I2C controlled, supports 32 x different I2C addresses by setting the 5 address jumpers.
Onboard PCA9685 chip, provides 12-bit hardware PWM to adjust the motor speed.
Onboard TB6612FNG dual H-bridge motor driver, high efficiency, low heating.
Integrates 5V regulator, up to 3A output current, can be powered from the battery through VIN terminal.
Break out unused pins of Pico for easy extension.
Provides online supporting manual (example demos for Raspberry Pi Pico C/C++ and MicroPython).

Specification

Operating voltage: 6~12V (VIN terminals)
Logic level: 3.3V
Pwm driver: PCA9685
Motor driver: TB6612FNG
Control interface: I2C
Dimensions: 65 x 56mm

Pinout

Dimensions

User Guide

Hardware Connection

When connecting the Pico, please be careful not to reverse the corresponding direction. You can judge the direction by observing the end with a USB silkscreen on the module and the USB port end of the Pico (you can also judge the direction by the pin number of the female connector on the module and the pin number of the Pico).

Demo Download

Method 1: Directly download from the Raspberry Pi and open the terminal to run:

sudo apt-get install p7zip-full
cd ~
sudo wget  https://files.waveshare.com/upload/5/5c/Pico-Motor-Driver-code.7z
7z Pico_pico-Motor-Driver-code.7z -o./pico-Motor-Driver-code.7z
cd ~/pico-Motor-Driver-code

Method 2: Download from #Resource.

Working with Raspberry Pi

C

The following tutorial is operated on the Raspberry Pi. However, due to the multi-platform and portable features of cmake, it can be successfully compiled on PC as well, but the operation is slightly different and requires users to make their own judgment.

d ~/pico-Motor-Driver-code/c/

Create a build folder and add SDK:
For example, if the path of SDK is ../../pico-sdk
Then you should create a build and add the path like these:

cd build
export PICO_SDK_PATH=../../pico-sdk
(Note: Be sure to write the right path for your own SDK)

Run cmake.. command to to generate Makefile file

cmake ..

Run make command to build.

make -j9

Execute make to generate the executable file, the first compilation takes a long time.

make -j9

After the compilation is complete, the uf2 file will be generated. Press and hold the button on the Pico board, connect the Pico to the USB port of the Raspberry Pi through the Micro USB cable, and release the button. After connecting, the Raspberry Pi will automatically recognize a removable disk (RPI-RP2), and copy the main.uf2 file in the build folder to the recognized removable disk (RPI-RP2).

cp main.uf2 /media/pi/RPI-RP2/

Python codes

Run in Raspberry Pi

1. Flash the Micropython firmware and copy the pico_micropython_xxxxx.uf2 file into pico (more on this in the Windows tutorial below). Official firmware download.
2. Open the Thonny IDE on the Raspberry Pi (click on the Raspberry Pi logo -> Programming -> Thonny Python IDE), and you can view the version information at Help->About Thonny.
To make sure that your version has the Pico support package, again you can click Tools -> Options... -> Interpreter to select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico and ttyACM0 port).

as shown in the picture:

If your Thonny doesn't support Pico, you can update it with the following command:

sudo apt upgrade thonny

Choose File->Open...->python/ and select the corresponding .py file to run the codes.

Experimental Phenomenon: Motor A and B will rotate at full speed in the positive direction for 2S, and then rotate at half speed in the reverse direction for 4S.

Use in Windows

1. Press and hold the BOOTSET button on the Pico board, connect the pico to the USB port of the computer via the Micro USB cable, and release the button when the computer recognizes a removable hard drive (RPI-RP2).
2. Download the pico_micropython_xxxxx.uf2 file and copy it to a recognized removable drive (RPI-RP2). Official firmware download
3. Open Thonny IDE (Note: Use the latest version of Thonny, otherwise there is no Pico support package, the latest version under Windows is v3.3.3).
4. Click Tools -> Settings -> Interpreter, and select Pico and the corresponding port as shown in the figure.

5. File -> Open -> the corresponding .py file, click to run, as shown in the following figure:

The experimental phenomenon is identical to the c program and will not be repeated here.

Resource

Document

Schematic

Demo codes

Demo codes

Development Software

Pico Getting Started

Firmware Download

MicroPython Firmware Download

C_Blink Firmware Download

Introduction

Raspberry Pi Pico Basics

MicroPython Series

Install Thonny IDE

In order to facilitate the development of Pico/Pico2 boards using MicroPython on a computer, it is recommended to download the Thonny IDE

Download Thonny IDE and follow the steps to install, the installation packages are all Windows versions, please refer to Thonny's official website for other versions
After installation, the language and motherboard environment need to be configured for the first use. Since we are using Pico/Pico2, pay attention to selecting the Raspberry Pi option for the motherboard environment

Configure MicroPython environment and choose Pico/Pico2 port
- Connect Pico/Pico2 to your computer first, and in the lower right corner of Thonny left-click on the configuration environment option --> select Configture interpreter
- In the pop-up window, select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico), and choose the corresponding port

Flash Firmware

Click OK to return to the Thonny main interface, download the corresponding firmware library and burn it to the device, and then click the Stop button to display the current environment in the Shell window
Note: Flashing the Pico2 firmware provided by Micropython may cause the device to be unrecognized, please use the firmware below or in the package
- Pico firmware library
- Pico2 firmware library
How to download the firmware library for Pico/Pico2 in windows: After holding down the BOOT button and connecting to the computer, release the BOOT button, a removable disk will appear on the computer, copy the firmware library into it
How to download the firmware library for RP2040/RP2350 in windows: After connecting to the computer, press the BOOT key and the RESET key at the same time, release the RESET key first and then release the BOOT key, a removable disk will appear on the computer, copy the firmware library into it (you can also use the Pico/Pico2 method)

MicroPython Series

【MicroPython】 machine.Pin class function details
【MicroPython】machine.PWM class function details
【MicroPython】machine.ADC class function details
【MicroPython】machine.UART class function details
【MicroPython】machine.I2C class function details
【MicroPython】machine.SPI class function details
【MicroPython】rp2.StateMachine class function details

C/C++ Series

For C/C++, it is recommended to use Pico VS Code for development. This is a Microsoft Visual Studio Code extension designed to make it easier for you to create, develop, and debug projects for the Raspberry Pi Pico series development boards. No matter if you are a beginner or an experienced professional, this tool can assist you in developing Pico with confidence and ease. Here's how to install and use the extension.

Official website tutorial: https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/pico-vscode-extension/
This tutorial is suitable for Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico2 and the RP2040 and RP2350 series development boards developed by Waveshare
The development environment defaults to Windows11. For other environments, please refer to the official tutorial for installation

Install VSCode

First, click to download pico-vscode package, unzip and open the package, double-click to install VSCode

Note: If vscode is installed, check if the version is v1.87.0 or later

Install Extension

Click Extensions and select Install from VSIX
Select the package with the vsix suffix and click Install
Then vscode will automatically install raspberry-pi-pico and its dependency extensions, you can click Refresh to check the installation progress
The text in the right lower corner shows that the installation is complete. Close VSCode

Configure Extension

Open directory C:\Users\username and copy the entire .pico-sdk to that directory
The Copy is completed

Open vscode and configure the paths for the Raspberry Pi Pico extensions

The configuration is as follows:

Cmake Path:
${HOME}/.pico-sdk/cmake/v3.28.6/bin/cmake.exe

Git Path:
${HOME}/.pico-sdk/git/cmd/git.exe    

Ninja Path:
${HOME}/.pico-sdk/ninja/v1.12.1/ninja.exe

Python3 Path:
${HOME}/.pico-sdk/python/3.12.1/python.exe

New Project

The configuration is complete, create a new project, enter the project name, select the path, and click Create to create the project
To test the official example, you can click on the Example next to the project name to select
The project is created successfully
Select the SDK version
Select Yes for advanced configuration
Choose the cross-compilation chain, 13.2.Rel1 is applicable for ARM cores, RISCV.13.3 is applicable for RISCV cores. You can select either based on your requirements
Select default for CMake version (the path configured earlier)
Select default for Ninjaversion
Select the development board
Click Complie to compile
The uf2 format file is successfully compiled

Import Project

The Cmake file of the imported project cannot have Chinese (including comments), otherwise the import may fail
To import your own project, you need to add a line of code to the Cmake file to switch between pico and pico2 normally, otherwise even if pico2 is selected, the compiled firmware will still be suitable for pico
set(PICO_BOARD pico CACHE STRING "Board type")

Update Extension

The extension version in the offline package is 0.15.2, and you can also choose to update to the latest version after the installation is complete

Arduino IDE Series

Install Arduino IDE

First, go to Arduino official website to download the installation package of the Arduino IDE.
Here, you can select Just Download.
Once the download is complete, click Install.

Notice: During the installation process, it will prompt you to install the driver, just click Install
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Arduino IDE Interface

After the first installation, when you open the Arduino IDE, it will be in English. You can switch to other languages in File --> Preferences, or continue using the English interface.
In the Language field, select the language you want to switch to, and click OK.

Install Arduino-Pico Core in the Arduino IDE

Open the Arduino IDE, click on the file in the top left corner, and select Preferences

Add the following link to the attached board manager URL, and then click OK

https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/4.0.2/package_rp2040_index.json

Note: If you already have an ESP32 board URL, you can use a comma to separate the URLs as follows:

https://dl.espressif.com/dl/package_esp32_index.json,https://github.com/earlephilhower/arduino-pico/releases/download/4.0.2/package_rp2040_index.json

Click Tools > Development Board > Board Manager > Search pico, as my computer has already been installed, it shows that it is installed

Upload Demo at the First Time

Press and hold the BOOTSET button on the Pico board, connect the pico to the USB port of the computer via the Micro USB cable, and release the button after the computer recognizes a removable hard disk (RPI-RP2).
Download the program and open D1-LED.ino under the arduino\PWM\D1-LED path
Click Tools --> Port, remember the existing COM, do not click this COM (the COM displayed is different on different computers, remember the COM on your own computer)
Connect the driver board to the computer using a USB cable. Then, go to Tools > Port. For the first connection, select uf2 Board. After uploading, when you connect again, an additional COM port will appear
Click Tools > Development Board > Raspberry Pi Pico > Raspberry Pi Pico or Raspberry Pi Pico 2
After setting it up, click the right arrow to upload the program

If issues arise during this period, and if you need to reinstall or update the Arduino IDE version, it is necessary to uninstall the Arduino IDE completely. After uninstalling the software, you need to manually delete all contents within the C:\Users\[name]\AppData\Local\Arduino15 folder (you need to show hidden files to see this folder). Then, proceed with a fresh installation.

Open Source Demos

MircoPython video demo (github)
MicroPython firmware/Blink demos (C)
Raspberry Pi official C/C++ demo (github)
Raspberry Pi official micropython demo (github)
Arduino official C/C++ demo (github)

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