Betz Drive

An Open Source Actuator for Robotics Research and Development

All-In-One

The design of Betz Drive was intended to pursue low-cost motor controllers capable of both running a brushless DC motor and collecting necessary data for controlling a complex robot. The project started as and remains the core of blue robot. As such, the controller contains a variety of devices and sensors built into one board.

6-axis IMU
3-Phase Current Sense
On-axis Encoder
Temperature Sensor

The most unique feature of Betz Drive is the ‘disco-bus’, a pass-through connector built in which carries power, communications and a special enumeration pin. This system allows quick and easy serial connection of a set of motor controller boards that does not rely on unique identifiers. Each board is serialized on boot and maintains that identification number during operation. In the event of a fault, the identifier is stored in EEPROM which will restore the ID and continue operation.

Specs

Power Requirements

Operating Range (24V - 48V DC)
Operating Current (3.5A continuous, 6.5A peak)
- Generally used with high-impedance gimbal motors.

Devices

Microcontroller (STM32F405)
Driver (DRV8312)
Current Sensors (INA253)
Encoder (AS5047U)
Temperature Sensor (MCP9808)

Connectors

Power [V+, GND]
Serial over RS485 [D+, D-] (custom protocol)
Disco Bus [In or Out] (spec)
- The input is the connection surrounded by capacitors

Dimensions

Single board: 60mm x 60mm x 13.8mm
Double stack: 60mm x 60mm x 20mm
Holes: 52mm separation (square)