Pololu Orangutan SVP-324, Orangutan SVP-1284 User Manual

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Pololu Orangutan SVP User’s

Guide

1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.a. Supported Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. Contacting Pololu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3. Schematic Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4. Module Pinout and Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

5. Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

5.a. Installing Windows Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

5.b. Using the Demo Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

5.c. Programming your Orangutan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

5.d. Assembling the kit version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

6. AVR Pin Assignment Table Sorted by Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

7. AVR Pin Assignment Table Sorted by Pin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

8. Using the USB Communication Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

9. Using the TTL Serial Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

10. Motor Driver Truth Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

11. USB Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

12. Upgrading Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

13. Related Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J39/all Page 1 of 43

1. Overview

The Orangutan SVP robot controller

[https://www.pololu.com/product/1325] is a complete

control solution for small and medium-sized

robots running at 6 – 13.5 V. The module is

designed around the powerful Atmel

ATmega324PA AVR microcontroller (32 KB

flash, 2 KB RAM, and 1 KB EEPROM) or

ATmega1284P (128 KB flash, 16 KB RAM, and

4 KB EEPROM) running at 20 MHz and features

a full complement of peripheral hardware to

support robotics applications: dual motor drivers capable of delivering 2 A continuous (6 peak) per

channel, a demultiplexer for easy control of up to eight servos with a single hardware PWM, a

removable 16×2 character LCD with backlight, a user trimmer potentiometer, a buzzer for simple

sounds and music, three user pushbuttons, and two user LEDs. The board also provides 21 free I/O

lines, of which 12 can be used as analog inputs, and two switching buck (step-down) voltage

regulators—one for the 5V bus and one adjustable from 2.5 V to 85% of VIN—each capable of

supplying 3 A, which means there’s plenty of room and power for adding sensors, servos, and other

peripherals.

In addition to the user-programmable AVR microcontroller, the Orangutan SVP features an auxiliary

PIC18F14K50 MCU that supports the main processor and serves as an integrated AVR ISP

programmer, which means that no external programmer is required to use the Orangutan SVP. This

auxiliary processor provides a USB connection that allows direct communication with a PC, and its

firmware lets it perform several useful task in parallel with the main microcontroller. For example, the

auxiliary processor can read two quadrature encoders without burdening the main MCU, or those

same four inputs could be used as additional analog inputs. The ATmega324 or ATmega1284 can

read data from the auxiliary MCU over SPI. A USB A to mini-B cable [https://www.pololu.com/product/

1129] is included with the Orangutan SVP.

The Orangutan SVP is compatible with freely available development software for Atmel’s AVR

microcontrollers, including Atmel Studio [https://www.microchip.com/avr-support/atmel-studio-7] and the

WinAVR [http://winavr.sourceforge.net/] GCC C/C++ compiler. We provide an extensive set of software

libraries [https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J20] that make it easy to interface with all of the integrated

hardware, including the auxiliary microcontroller. Using these libraries, it takes just a few simple lines

of code to write to the LCD, read button presses, drive motors, and control servos. These libraries

come with a number of sample programs that demonstrate how to use the various components on the

Orangutan SVP.

1. Overview Page 2 of 43

• Overall unit dimensions: 3.70" × 2.20"

• Input voltage: 6 – 13.5 V

• Programmable 20 MHz Atmel ATmega324PA AVR microcontroller with 32 KB flash, 2 KB

SRAM, and 1 KB EEPROM (SVP-324 version)

• Programmable 20 MHz Atmel ATmega1284P AVR microcontroller with 128 KB flash, 16 KB

RAM, and 4 KB EEPROM (SVP-1284 version)

• Built-in USB AVR ISP programmer (USB A to mini-B cable [https://www.pololu.com/product/

1129] included)

• 2 bidirectional motor ports (2 A continuous per channel, 6 A maximum per channel)

• 8-output demultiplexer tied to one of the AVR’s hardware PWMs for easy control of up to 8

servos

• 21 free I/O lines

◦ 17 free I/O lines on the main MCU, of which 8 can be analog inputs

◦ 4 input lines on the auxiliary processor, which can be either 4 analog inputs or dual

quadrature encoder inputs

◦ 2 hardware UARTs

• Removable 16-character × 2-line LCD with backlight

• Primary 5V switching regulator capable of supplying 3 A

• Secondary adjustable (2.5 V – 85% of VIN) buck (step-down) voltage regulator capable of

supplying 3 A

• Buzzer tied to one of the AVR’s hardware PWMs

• 3 user pushbutton switches

• 2 user LEDs

• Power (push-on/push-off) and reset pushbutton switches

• Power circuit makes it easy to add extra power buttons and provides a self-shutdown option

• Auxiliary processor (connected via SPI) provides:

◦ Battery voltage reading

◦ User trimmer potentiometer reading

◦ Integrated USB connection

◦ In-System-Programming of the main processor

Specifications & On-Board Hardware

1. Overview Page 3 of 43

◦ Ability to read two quadrature encoders

Orangutan SVP kit.

Orangutan SVP fully assembled.

For a Spanish version of this document, please see Orangutan SVP Guia de Usuario

[https://www.pololu.com/file/0J328/OrangutanSVPGuiaDeUsuario.pdf] (2MB pdf) (provided by

customer Jaume B.).

1.a. Supported Operating Systems

We support using the Orangutan SVP’s USB connection under Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista,

Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Linux, and Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or later. The Orangutan

SVP’s USB connection can be used to program the AVR, communicate directly with the AVR from a

computer, or communicate with TTL-level serial devices from a computer.

In Linux, the three virtual COM ports created by the SVP should appear as devices with names like

/dev/ttyACM0 , /dev/ttyACM1 , and /dev/ttyACM2 (the numbers depends on how many other ACM

devices you have plugged in) and you can use any terminal program (such as kermit ) to send and

receive bytes on those ports.

In Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or later, the three virtual COM ports created by the SVP should appear

as devices with names like /dev/tty.usbmodem00022381 , /dev/tty.usbmodem00022383 , and /dev/

tty.usbmodem00022385 and you can use any terminal program (such as screen ) to send and receive

bytes on those ports. The lowest number found in the device names is the Orangutan SVP’s serial

number.

1. Overview Page 4 of 43

Mac OS X compatibility: we have confirmed that the Orangutan SVP’s USB connection

works on Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) and we can assist with advanced technical issues, but

most of our tech support staff does not use Macs, so basic support for Mac OS X is

limited.

There is an issue that prevents the Orangutan SVP from working with macOS 10.11 or

later.

Note: You may not need to use the Orangutan SVP’s USB connection. If you have

an AVR ISP programmer, then you can program the AVR on the Orangutan SVP by

connecting your programmer to the 6-pin AVR ISP header located near the SVP’s USB

connector. In that case, the operating system of your computer does not matter as long

as it is compatible with your programmer.

1. Overview Page 5 of 43

2. Contacting Pololu

You can check the Orangutan SVP-324 robot controller page [https://www.pololu.com/product/1325]

or Orangutan SVP-1284 robot controller page [https://www.pololu.com/product/1327] for additional

information, including pictures, example code, and application notes. You can also find libraries for

interacting with the on-board hardware and an assortment of sample code in the Pololu AVR Library

[https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J20].

We would be delighted to hear from you about any of your projects and about your experience with the

Orangutan Robot controllers. You can contact us [https://www.pololu.com/contact] directly or post on our

forum [http://forum.pololu.com/]. Tell us what we did well, what we could improve, what you would like to

see in the future, or anything else you would like to say!

2. Contacting Pololu Page 6 of 43

3. Schematic Diagrams

Schematic diagrams of the Orangutan SVP are available here: Orangutan SVP schematic diagram

[https://www.pololu.com/file/0J265/org06a02_schematic.pdf] (99k pdf)

3. Schematic Diagrams Page 7 of 43

4. Module Pinout and Components

The Orangutan SVP contains a programmable AVR ATmega324PA or ATmega1284P microcontroller

connected to two motor drivers for direct control of two DC motors, a 16×2 character LCD, a buzzer,

three user pushbuttons, two user LEDs, and a demultiplexer for servo control. The AVR is also

connected to an auxiliary processor (a PIC18F14K50) that provides access to the battery voltage, a

10 kilo-ohm user trimmer potentiometer, and four additional input lines. The auxiliary processor also

serves as a programmer for the main processor, meaning that an external programmer is not required,

but you can use one if you want to. The auxiliary processor also allows for USB communication

between the AVR and a personal computer, and acts as a USB-to-serial converter.

Orangutan SVP fully assembled PCB with pins labeled.

These and the rest of the main features of the module are labeled in the picture above and in

more detail in the Orangutan SVP reference diagram [https://www.pololu.com/file/0J244/

4. Module Pinout and Components Page 8 of 43

orangutan_svp_reference_diagram.pdf] (82k pdf). Most of the connection points are also indicated on the

silkscreen on the back side of the PCB, as shown below. The overall unit dimensions are 3.7" × 2.2",

and four 0.086" mounting holes, suitable for #2 screws, are located 0.1" from the corners of the board.

Orangutan SVP-324 with dimensions.

Power & Motor Connections

Power for the Orangutan SVP should be connected to the positive (+) and ground (GND) terminals

near the words “Power In” on the board. The input voltage (VIN) of the power supply should be 6 –

13.5 V, from which the on-board regulator generates the 5 V supply (VCC) that is used to power the

logic.

The Orangutan SVP has one TB6612FNG motor driver for each motor output. Each motor driver can

deliver a continuous 2 A, and can briefly deliver up to 6 A. If you are not taking extra steps to keep the

motor driver cool, such as using a heat sink, exceeding this continuous current rating for too long will

cause the motor driver to heat up and trigger its built-in thermal shutdown.

By default, the motor drivers are powered from VBAT, which refers to the input voltage (VIN) after

passing through reverse protection and the power switch circuit. However, you can disconnect VBAT

from the motor drivers by cutting the labeled traces on the bottom of the board (VBAT-VM1 and VBAT-

VM2). This allows you to connect some other power supply to the motor drivers, such as VADJ (see

below). The motor drivers have an operating range of 4.5 – 13.5 V, so your power supply should be in

that range, and should be capable of supplying all the current that your motors might draw.

4. Module Pinout and Components Page 9 of 43

USB Power

When connected to a computer, the USB connection provides a 5 V power supply. If an external power

supply is present, the unit will run off of the external supply and not draw any power from USB. If only

the USB power is present, then by default the auxiliary processor will be powered from USB, but the

AVR and the VCC power pins on the board will not be powered. An option is available for powering

the entire board from USB. See Section 11 for more information.

Motors

The motor drivers are controlled by two of the AVR’s hardware PWM outputs from eight-bit Timer2 for

speed control, along with two digital outputs for direction control. This lets you achieve variable motor

speeds using hardware PWMs rather than processor-intensive software PWMs on the motor control

lines. You can control the motors using the functions in the OrangutanMotors [https://www.pololu.com/

docs/0J18/7] section of the Pololu AVR C/C++ Library.

For each motor, the Orangutan SVP has a current-sensing circuit that produces an output voltage

proportional to the current the motors are using (850 mV/A). The respective outputs of these circuits

are labeled CS1 and CS2, and they are accessible near the center of the board.

User I/O & Power Outputs

Sixteen user I/O lines can be accessed via the four 4×3 0.100" female headers along the lower edger

of the board, as shown below. Each I/O line has associated power and ground connections for easy

connections to sensors: the exterior (bottom) pin is ground, the middle pin is power, and the interior

(top) pin is signal and connects directly to an AVR I/O line.

For each four-pin bank of I/O lines, you can configure which power voltage is supplied to the power

(middle) pins. By default, the power pins are connected to VCC (5 V). You can cut a trace on the

bottom of the board to disconnect them from VCC. This will leave the power pins connected to one

through-hole, which can be connected to a different power source, such as VADJ, which is available

elsewhere on the board.

The total current available on the VCC (5 V) line is 3 A, meaning you can power servos and other

high-power peripherals directly from your regulated voltage.

LCD

The Orangutan SVP is supplied with a removable 16×2 character LCD with backlight that uses the

common HD44780 parallel interface [https://www.pololu.com/file/0J71/DMC50448N-AAE-AD.pdf] (109k pdf).

A different LCD can be connected with an appropriate cable. The AVR has four I/O lines connected

to LCD data lines DB4 – DB7 (i.e. is configured to use the LCD in 4-bit mode) and three I/O lines

connected to the three LCD control lines RS, R/W, and E. Please note that the LCD data lines are also

4. Module Pinout and Components Page 10 of 43

shared by the user pushbuttons and the green user LED. You can print to the LCD using the functions

in the OrangutanLCD [https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J18/5] section of the Pololu AVR C/C++ Library.

The LCD’s backlight can be turned off by driving the BACKLIGHT line low. Adjustable dimming of the

LCD can be achieved by connecting the line to a free PWM output.

The AVR’s AREF pin is available next to the backlight pin.

Pushbuttons

The Orangutan SVP has five total pushbuttons: a power on/off button located on the right side of the

bottom edge of the board, a reset button located on the left side of the top edge of the board, and

three user pushbuttons located along the left edge of the board. Please note that the power button

disconnects the external power supply from the entire board, while the reset button connects directly

to the AVR’s RESET pin and does not disconnect the power supply.

The user pushbuttons, from top to bottom, are on pins PC5, PC3, and PC2. Pressing one of these

buttons pulls the associated I/O pin to ground through a resistor. You can detect button pushes using

the functions in the OrangutanPushbuttons [https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J18/9] section of the Pololu

AVR C/C++ Library. The library takes care of configuring the pins as inputs, enabling the AVR’s internal

pull-up resistors, and debouncing (accounting for the fact that pushbuttons physically bounce when

pressed).

Buzzer

The Orangutan SVP comes with a buzzer controlled by pin PD4. If you alternate between driving the

buzzer pin high and low at a given frequency, the buzzer will produce sound at that frequency. You can

use the functions in the OrangutanBuzzer [https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J18/3] section of the Pololu AVR

C/C++ Library to play notes in the background (using hardware PWM) while the rest of your processor

performs other tasks.

Trimpot

The Orangutan SVP comes with a 10 kilo-ohm user trimmer potentiometer, located between the

USB connector and the LCD connector. The trimpot is connected to the auxiliary processor, which

measures its output voltage and reports it to the AVR.

You can disconnect the trimpot from the auxiliary processor by cutting the labeled trace between POT

and ADC/SS on the bottom side of the board. This gives you two options for that line: you can use it

as a general-purpose analog input by connecting some other output to it, or you can connect it to one

of your AVR’s free I/O lines and use it as the SPI slave-select line for the auxiliary processor, allowing

you to communicate with some other SPI peripheral.

4. Module Pinout and Components Page 11 of 43

Programming Connector

The Orangutan SVP has a 6-pin programming connector on the upper left side. This gives you the

option of using an AVR ISP in-system programmer from Atmel or a compatible programmer, such

as our Pololu USB AVR Programmer [https://www.pololu.com/product/1300] to program the AVR. This is

not necessary, though, because the Orangutan SVP’s auxiliary processor can serve as an AVR ISP

programmer for the AVR.

By default, pin 5 of the Programming connector, which is labeled by an asterisk (*), is connected to

the AVR’s RESET line, which is necessary for ISP programming by an external device). However, you

can disconnect those two pins by cutting a labeled trace on the bottom of the circuit board. This gives

you the option of using that line for some other signal.

Auxiliary I/O & Power Outputs

The Orangutan SVP has five auxiliary I/O lines that are connected to the auxiliary processor. Each

I/O line has associated power and ground connections for easy connections to sensors: the exterior

(top) pin is ground, the middle pin is power (VCC), and the interior (bottom) pin is signal and connects

directly to an auxiliary processor I/O line. The TX line is the serial transmit line. It transmits TTL-level

serial bytes received from the computer on the “Pololu Orangutan SVP TTL Serial Port”. The lines A,

B, C, and D/RX can be configured to do different things. They can function as three analog inputs

plus a serial receive line, as four analog inputs, or as the inputs for two quadrature encoders. See the

OrangutanSVP [https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J18/13] section of the Pololu AVR C/C++ Library for more

information.

Servo Demultiplexer

The hardware in the upper-right corner of the Orangutan SVP allows you to control up to 8 servos

without sacrificing a large number of I/O lines or processor cycles. You can control servos using the

functions in the OrangutanServos [https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J18/11] section of the Pololu USB AVR

C/C++ library.

The input signal of the demultiplexer is connected to pin PD5 on the AVR. If you are not using PD5 to

control servos, you can use it as a general-purpose digital I/O line or PWM output.

The three output-selection pins of the multiplexer (SA, SB, and SC) are available in the header near

the multiplexer so they can be wired to free I/O lines on the AVR, allowing you to switch between

servos. The output-selection pins have pull-down resistors, so if you have four servos or fewer you

can leave some of them disconnected.

The eight output pins of the multiplexer are available in two 4×3 headers. These lines have current-

limiting resistors on them. Each multiplexer output line has associated power and ground connections

for easy connections to the servos: the exterior (top) pin is ground, the middle pin is power. For each

4. Module Pinout and Components Page 12 of 43

bank of servos, you can configure which power supply is connected to the power pins, using the

provided headers and jumpers. You can power the servos from VCC, VADJ (see below), or a separate

power supply. The fully assembled version ships with a jumper attached to just the middle pin of each

of the two servo power selection banks. In this default orientation, the jumper supplies no power to the

servo power rail.

Orangutan SVP with key integrated hardware labeled.

Adjustable Voltage (VADJ)

In addition to the 5 V regulator that supplies VCC, the Orangutan SVP comes with an adjustable

voltage regulator. Both regulators can supply a current of 3 A. The adjustable voltage regulator draws

current from the external power supply, and produces an output voltage called VADJ. The trimmer

potentiometer in the upper right corner of the board determines VADJ. If you turn the trimpot all the

way counter-clockwise, VADJ goes down to about 2.5 V. If you turn it all the way clockwise, VADJ rises

to 85% of VIN. The adjustable voltage regulator will be off when the main power is switched off.

In general, it is advantageous to power servos and other high-power devices from VADJ (instead of

VCC), because if the peripherals draw too much current for the power supply to handle the AVR will

not be affected.

LEDs

4. Module Pinout and Components Page 13 of 43

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Pololu Orangutan SVP-324, Orangutan SVP-1284 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual