Hi, I’m trying to use the Arduino Nano Every for the Openflexure, but I didn’t manage to make the motors move. I’m using 3 stepper motor boards (simple controller using Arduino Nano scheme) connected as the diagram shows. Checked the connections 3 or 4 times so they should be okay. Flashed the Nano Every with the Sangaboard Arduino sketch.
I`m using a 5V AC Adaptor with 1.6A. Would be enough power? I can change it and give more voltage to the motors (it has a voltage selector). Is the Arduino Nano Every compatible for this?
Thanks in advance.
I have not used an Every, but they are supposed to be compatible with code for the Nano. Have you got the OFM microscope webapp client working - either on the Pi desktop or using OFM connect? In that you can see the logs, and if you look at the full log I think it will say if it has connected to a Sangaboard. That will tell you whether the Arduino sketch is basically working and talking to the OFM server.
The motors will normally say on their sticker whether they are 5V or not. The motor power supply is separate from the supply to the Nano/Every. That is part of the purpose of the motor driver boards. For the OFM the Nano operates from the USB power as it is plugged into the Pi USB for communication. The motor boards have a separate power supply which could be a different voltage, but for the usual 5V motors it is just another 5V supply capable of more current than the Nano can deliver. My motors take <0.5A, but some seem more power hungry. On some versions of the motor driver boards there are jumper connection pins next to the power connection. These may need to be joined to link the power through to the motors. It should be clear if you look at how the tracks go on your board. Have your boards got LEDs and do they light up at all? They should light and the pattern should change as the motor is commanded to move. The LEDs will light even if there is no motor connected, so if they are not working it is a power or controller problem, if they work it looks more like a problem with the motors.
Hi WilliamW, thanks for your answer. I installed the Raspbian-OpenFlexure in my SD, it runs well, but when I try to move the motors it says that it doesn’t detect movement. I connected the Nano to the Raspi via USB. The motors are the 28BYJ-48 which runs at 5V; the motor drivers are the ULN2003. I don`t see any led blinking in the drivers when they are connected. The Nano Every has his LED in green when I power it.
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If the LEDs are not on, they are not receiving the signal from the Nano/Every. Make sure the GND of the Nano and the motor drivers are linked, so that there is the same reference for the signal sent by the Nano and the signal received by the drivers. Try connecting one of the signal wires to the 5V pin of the Nano instead of the relevant data pin. The corresponding LED on the driver board should light. If that works but the microscope still does not, then the nano is not providing the correct signals, which would require more detailed diagnostics.
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Solved it! I can confirm Arduino Nano Every works with Openflexure. The AC adapter I was using has inverted polarity; simply changing the cables made it works!
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