The New Tinymovr M5 Is a Cute Yet Powerful Brushless Motor Controller with Python, Arduino Support
Measuring just over an inch on a side, the Tinymovr M5 really lives up to its name.
Greek motor control specialist Tinymovr has launched a new version of its eponymous compact brushless motor control board, the Tinymover M5 — and, as always, it's driven by open-source software.
"We created the Tinymovr M5 with the vision of offering a sophisticated yet compact solution for controlling a broad range of brushless motors," the Tinymovr team explains. "The need for precise control in robotics, drones, and gimbal applications is rapidly growing, and we saw the necessity for a motor controller that delivers on both the fronts of performance and ease of integration. Our goal was to create a product that is powerful, efficient, and user-friendly while staying open-source to encourage development and customization."
The Tinymovr M5, the latest entry in the Tinymovr family, measures just 29.5×29.5mm (around 1.16×1.16"), yet offers an on-board Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller core, support for a maximum 5A phase current, and the ability to switch between position, veolcity, and torque modes with field oriented control (FOC). There are even two CAN bus connectors, designed to make it easy to chain multiple Tinymovrs together should one prove insufficient.
"What sets the Tinymovr M5 apart is its combination of superior control precision, compact size, and comprehensive open-source support," the team claims. "We've optimized the power stage by using low RdsOn MOSFets, efficient ceramic capacitors, and a meticulously designed layout to support efficient power management. This includes both regenerative and flux braking, ensuring excellent energy efficiency."
The software and firmware driving the board are released by the team under the reciprocal GNU General Public License 3, along with the Tinymovr Studio — a Python client designed to simplify motor control using an iPython interface. Tinymovr also offers an Arduino library for CAN bus control, for those who would prefer that approach.
The Tinymovr source code is available on GitHub, while fully-assembled boards can be purchased from the team's official Tindie store for $88 each.