Motorduino

What is it?

The Motorduino is a project to develop a circuit with an onboard microcontroller (ATMega168) and a dc motor driver (L293DD). The aim is to facilitate the development of robotic projects by artists while maintaining a small form factor, not normally possible with a regular arduino and a number of add-on shields.
One of the most common configurations used in small robotics development by artists is that of a small bot with two active wheels, each with an independent drive system. This configuration is best exemplified with Braitenberg vehicles, which produces behaviour based on external influences such as light sources.
The Motorduino board is designed specifically for that purpose - to independently drive two small motors while maintaining compatability with the Arduino project. This allows code to be uploaded to the board via USB, and implements an easy-to-use interface for tool development.

How is it different than an Arduino?

The Motorduino has a number of points of departure from the standard Arduino Diecimila or Duemilanove. These include:

• The on-board dual H-bridge driver, which facilitates simple control of the speed and direction of each wheel
• Jumpers on the power supply to the motor driver, which can be removed to use the Arduino digital pins like a regular Arduino
• An infrared LED which can be seen by an overhead camera for tracking location
• Surface mount parts for reducing the overall footprint
• [In development] A ground pin for each digital and analog line, which allows components, such as LEDs, to be connected easily without having to split a single GND pin

It also has some of the traditional Arduino elements, which are absent on smaller units such as the Arduino nano, including:

• FTDI USB to UART adapter, which allows for easy communication between the Motorduino and a computer, as well as the uploading of Arduino 'sketches' without needing an external programmer
• Power supply regulation and filtering via a 5v regulator and 100uF capacitors to reduce noise caused by the current pull of the motors
• 3.3 volt power line, generated by the FT232RL. This can be used to power external components, such as XBee radios, which run on 3.3 volts

The project is currently in development by Rich Gilbank at MedienKunstLabor in Graz, Austria.
It is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5, as is Arduino.