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simple/arduino |
!!! tip For first-time users, who have never programmed before and are looking to use the Arduino IDE, we recommend beginning with the SparkFun Inventor's Kit (SIK), which is designed to help users get started programming with the Arduino IDE.
Most users may already be familiar with the Arduino IDE and its use. However, for those of you who have never heard the name Arduino before, feel free to check out the Arduino website. To get started with using the Arduino IDE, check out our tutorials below:
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??? tip "Need help setting up the RedBoard Plus?" ### RedBoard Plus The following instructions should help users get started with the RedBoard Plus. For more information about the board, please check out our hookup guide below:
<figure markdown>
[](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/1758)
<figcaption markdown>[**RedBoard Plus Hookup Guide**](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/1758)</figcaption>
</figure>
#### CH340 Driver
Users will need to install the appropriate driver for their computer to recognize the serial-to-UART chip on their board/adapter. Most of the latest operating systems will recognize the CH340C chip on the board and automatically install the required driver.
*To manually install the CH340 driver on their computer, users can download it from the [WCH website](http://www.wch-ic.com/products/CH340.html?). For more information, check out our [How to Install CH340 Drivers Tutorial](https://www.sparkfun.com/ch340).*
<figure markdown>
[](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/908)
<figcaption markdown>[**How to Install CH340 Drivers**](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/908)</figcaption>
</figure>
#### Arduino IDE
When selecting a board to program in the Arduino IDE, users should select the **Arduino Uno** from the **Tools** drop-down menu _(_i.e. **Tools** > **Board** > **Arduino AVR Boards** > **Arduino Uno**)_.
<figure markdown>
[{ width="400" }](../img/hookup_guide/board_selection.png)
<figcaption markdown>Select the **Arduino Uno** from the Tools drop-down menu in the Arduino IDE.</figcaption>
</figure>
??? info "Arduino IDE 2.x.x - *Alternative Method*"
In the newest version of the Arduino IDE 2.`x`.`x`, users can also select their board (*green*) and port (*blue*) from the `Select Board & Port` dropdown menu (*yellow*).
<figure markdown>
[{ width="400" }](../img/hookup_guide/board_selection2.png)
<figcaption markdown>Selecting the **Arduino Uno** and **COM5** port from the **Select Board & Port** drop-down menu in the Arduino IDE (v2.0.3).</figcaption>
</figure>
The Simple Field Oriented Control Library can be installed from the library manager in the Arduino IDE.
[{ width="400" }](../img/hookup_guide/arduino_library.png) SimpleFOClibrary in the library manager of the Arduino IDE.??? tip "Arduino IDE (v1.x.x)" In the Arduino IDE v1.x.x, the library manager will have the following appearance for the SimpleFOC library:
<figure markdown>
[{ width="400" }](../img/hookup_guide/arduino_library-legacy.png)
<figcaption markdown>SimpleFOClibrary in the library manager of the Arduino IDE (v1.x.x).</figcaption>
</figure>
This library utilizes a motor control scheme called field oriented control (FOC), which can utilize a feedback control loop to drive a motor with a higher power efficiency and precision characteristics, like evenly distributed torque control.
!!! info For more details about the library, check out the online documentation.
!!! note "Supported Hardware" For a detailed and up-to-date list of the hardware supported by this library, check out the library's documentation. The following are excerpts taken from the library's documentation page:
=== "Microcontrollers"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/hardware/mcus/index.md:14:15"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/hardware/mcus/index.md:35:49"
!!! info
For more details, please refer to the [SimpleFOC Arduino library documentation](https://docs.simplefoc.com/microcontrollers).
=== "Motor Drivers"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/hardware/drivers/index.md:19:23"
??? warning "Current Limitations"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/hardware/drivers/index.md:30"
!!! tip
While the TMC6300 isn't directly listed as part of the supported hardware for the SimpleFOC Arduino library, we have verified that is compatible with the library.
!!! info
For more details, please refer to the [SimpleFOC Arduino library documentation](https://docs.simplefoc.com/bldc_drivers).
=== "Motors"
Arduino SimpleFOClibrary supports two types of BLDC motors:
- BLDC motors
- 3 phase (3 wire):
??? info "Gimbal Motors"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/hardware/motors/BLDC_motors.md:20:22"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/hardware/motors/BLDC_motors.md:23:28"
??? info "High-performance Motors"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/hardware/motors/BLDC_motors.md:43:43"
- Stepper motors
- 2 phase (4 wire)
??? warning "Current Limitations"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/hardware/motors/index.md:28"
!!! info
For more details, please refer to the [SimpleFOC Arduino library documentation](https://docs.simplefoc.com/bldc_motors).
Users will need to utilize the BLDCDriver6PWM class to provide the six PWM signals required for the TMC6300 motor driver.
BLDCDriver6PWM
: This class provides an abstraction layer for most of the common BLDC drivers, which require six PWM signals. This method offers more control than a three PWM motor drivers, since each of the 6 half-bridges MOSFETs can be controlled independently.
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/code/drivers/bldc_driver/bldc_driver_6pwm.md:28:36"
!!! note "Microcontroller Considerations"
=== "Arduino Uno"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/code/drivers/bldc_driver/bldc_driver_6pwm.md:42:50"
=== "STM32"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/code/drivers/bldc_driver/bldc_driver_6pwm.md:54:54"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/code/drivers/bldc_driver/bldc_driver_6pwm.md:55:56"
<div class="grid cards" markdown>
- **Hardware PWM**
---
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/code/drivers/bldc_driver/bldc_driver_6pwm.md:59:69"
- **Software PWM**
---
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/code/drivers/bldc_driver/bldc_driver_6pwm.md:72:93"
</div>
=== "ESP32"
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/code/drivers/bldc_driver/bldc_driver_6pwm.md:96:96"
!!! info
For more details about the `BLDCDriver6PWM` class, check out the [online documentation](https://docs.simplefoc.com/bldcdriver6pwm).
All BLDC motors are handled with the BLDCMotor class.
BLDCMotor
: This class implements the BLDC FOC algorithm, motion control loops, and monitoring.
--8<-- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/simplefoc/simplefoc.github.io/master/docs/simplefoc_library/code/motors/bldc_motors.md:23:30"
!!! note "Motor Considerations"
While, the datasheet for our [gimbal motor](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/20441), indicates that there are **8 pole pairs**, we have found that the motor operates more smoothly if the `BLDCMotor` class is instantiated with **7 pole pairs** instead.
```cp
BLDCMotor motor = BLDCMotor(7);
```
!!! info
For more details about the `BLDCMotor` class, check out the [online documentation](https://docs.simplefoc.com/bldcmotor).
Unless a feedback loop is incorporated when driving the motor (i.e. with position sensors or current sensing), users should implement the SimpleFOC library using the open-loop control.
Open-Loop Motion Control Types: