L.E. v 0.5 | New DC motor driver and public API

Pavel

— 2 min read

This Monday we received new PCBs to try new drivers for brushed DC motors. Before we used TI drivers that work with voltage less than 20V and current up to 1.5A. Really it's not bad because the driver's dimensions are just 2 mm x 2 mm. When you see those tiny chips you cannot believe that they can control motors. But those drivers are very simple and we should place a lot of additional components on PCB for current sensing (this gives the information about actual motor load that can be used for adjusting sounds, protecting the motor against overload, or simulating realistic behavior) and we cannot use old drivers with layout cars (those TI drivers work only with 4.5V but cars are powered by batteries 3-4.2V usually). That's why we continually trying to find motor drivers that fit our project better. The new drivers will work with up to 32V, can handle up to 3A, and have built-in current sensing (if you haven't heard about current sensing for motors check this post). Dimensions are still tiny - just 3 mm x 3 mm. Next week we'll check how they work and publish our feedback.

Motor drivers for train and car WCC modules

What's new in the app and backend?

Everything that we develop within this project is based on open WCC protocol and open API (more info about what is open API - https://www.openapis.org/). "Open" is the key word here which means everyone is able to develop their own projects based on WCC (mobile apps, layout modules, remote controllers, etc.). This week we spent most of our "software" time working on the public API that can be used to manage interactions and automation on the train and LEGO® layouts. API is still in progress, especially documentation, but we hope that API will be clear to everyone.

This week we added 3 options on how to map virtual modules in the app with physical modules on the layout:

  • Bluetooth
  • Wi-Fi
  • USB cable
New train module provision in the Loco.Engineering app

This gives you an opportunity to use WCC modules with mobile devices, tablets, laptops, and even Raspberry Pi. Agree that sounds great?

Release notes:

  • [APP] Added Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Serial options for module connection screen
  • [APP] Fixed Bluetooth connection issue
  • [API] Added API to manage train, car, and accessory modules
  • [FIRMWARE] Improved NFC tag reading and handling
  • [HARDWARE] New DC motor driver module
  • [WCC] Added examples to WCC Protocol documentation

If you have any questions or feedback feel free to contact us at hey@loco.engineering.

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