Features – Pololu Maestro User Manual
Page 5
The Channel Settings tab in the Maestro
Control Center.
The Status tab in the Maestro Control
Center.
Features
• Three control methods: USB, TTL (5 V) serial, and internal scripting
• 0.25μs output pulse width resolution (corresponds to approximately 0.025° for a typical servo, which is
beyond what the servo could resolve)
• Configurable pulse rate and wide pulse range (see the Maestro comparison table below)
• Individual speed and acceleration control for each channel
• Channels can be optionally configured to go to a specified position or turn off on startup or error
• Alternate channel functions allow the channels to be used as:
◦ General-purpose digital outputs (0 or 5 V)
◦ Analog or digital inputs (channels 0 – 11 can be analog inputs; channels 12+ can be digital inputs)
◦ One channel can be a PWM output with frequency from 2.93 kHz to 12 MHz and up to 10 bits of
resolution (see
for details)
• A simple scripting language lets you program the controller to perform complex actions even after its USB
and serial connections are removed
• Free configuration and control application for Windows and
Linux makes it easy to:
◦ Configure and test your controller
◦ Create, run, and save sequences of servo movements for
animatronics and walking robots
◦ Write, step through, and run scripts stored in the servo
controller
• Two ways to write software to control the Maestro from a PC:
◦ Virtual COM port makes it easy to send serial commands
from any development environment that supports serial
communication
◦
allows use of more advanced
native USB commands and includes example code in C#,
Visual Basic .NET, and Visual C++
• TTL serial features:
◦ Supports 300 – 200,000 bps in fixed-baud mode, 300 –
115,200 bps in autodetect-baud mode
◦ Simultaneously supports the Pololu protocol, which gives
access to advanced functionality, and the simpler Scott
Edwards MiniSSC II protocol (there is no need to configure the device for a particular protocol mode)
◦ Can be daisy-chained with other Pololu servo and motor controllers using a single serial transmit line
◦ Chain input allows reception of data from multiple Mini Maestros using a single serial receive line
without extra components (does not apply to Micro Maestros)
◦ Can function as a general-purpose USB-to-TTL serial adapter for projects controlled from a PC
• Board can be powered off of USB or a 5 – 16 V battery, and it makes the regulated 5V available to the user
• Upgradable firmware
Pololu Maestro Servo Controller User's Guide
© 2001–2014 Pololu Corporation
1. Overview
Page 5 of 73