Module: j5e/motor

Description

A module for controlling electric motors by using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) and digital pins to regulate the speed and direction of the motor. While it is possible to wire a (tiny) motor directly to your microcontroller, it is best to use a motor controller, which allows for higher voltages and current.

An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate force in the form of torque applied on the motor's shaft. An electric generator is mechanically identical to an electric motor, but operates with a reversed flow of power, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy.Read more on Wikipedia

A motor controller is a device or group of devices that can coordinate in a predetermined manner the performance of an electric motor. A motor controller might include a manual or automatic means for starting and stopping the motor, selecting forward or reverse rotation, selecting and regulating the speed, regulating or limiting the torque, and protecting against overloads and electrical faults. Motor controllers may use electromechanical switching, or may use power electronics devices to regulate the speed and direction of a motor.Read more on Wikipedia

Pulse-width modulation (PWM), or pulse-duration modulation (PDM), is a method of reducing the average power delivered by an electrical signal, by effectively chopping it up into discrete parts. The average value of voltage fed to the load is controlled by turning the switch between supply and load on and off at a fast rate. The longer the switch is on compared to the off periods, the higher the total power supplied to the load. Along with maximum power point tracking (MPPT), it is one of the primary methods of reducing the output of solar panels to that which can be utilized by a battery. PWM is particularly suited for running inertial loads such as motors, which are not as easily affected by this discrete switching, because their inertia causes them to react slowly. The PWM switching frequency has to be high enough not to affect the load, which is to say that the resultant waveform perceived by the load must be as smooth as possible.Read more on Wikipedia

Requires

• module:j5e/event
• module:j5e/fn

Class: Motor

The Motor class allows for control of non-directional DC Motors

Constructor

new Motor(io)

Parameters

Examples

// Using a pin number
import Motor from "j5e/motor";

const motor = await new Motor(12);
motor.fwd();

// Using an options object
import Motor from "j5e/motor";

const motor = await new Motor({
  pin: 12
});
motor.fwd();

Properties

Methods

motor.configure(options);

import Motor from "j5e/motor";

const motor = await new Motor(12);
motor.configure({
  enabled: false
});
motor.forward(); // No signal is sent

motor.enable();

// Enable a motor
import Motor from "j5e/motor";
import {timer} from "j5e/fn";

const motor = await new Motor([13, 12]);
motor.disable();
timer.setTimeout(() => {
  motor.enable();
}, 5000);

motor.disable();

// Disable a motor
import Motor from "j5e/motor";

const motor = await new Motor([13, 12]);
motor.disable();

motor.start(speed);

motor.stop();

motor.resume();

motor.brake(duration);

motor.release();

motor.fwd();

motor.forward(speed);

motor.rev();

motor.reverse(speed);