#shapebits entry BrushR

#1

Hey Everyone! I’m just opening this topic in case anyone wants to know some more info about our BrushR project LINK. I had a lot of fun working on it over the past few weeks so I hope that shows from the video :smile I created a custom DC motor driver bit for this project using the perf bit and an L298D H bridge driver. I also had to do some hacking to get the cloudBit to work behind a bunch of wires, turns out it draws more power than they can handle! If anyone wants some details, I’d be happy to explain further.

I’ve noticed that some people had shown interes in using LittleBits with a music box, I hope they find my solution interesting!

#2

Welcome to the forums, @Ekeler! Please feel free to introduce yourself on the Welcome Page, so other Bitsters can get to know you better. You’ll find we’re a friendly bunch! :smile: In fact, I can think of a couple people right off the bat who will be interested in your DC motor driver: @matthiasmwolf and @chris101 .

Regarding your project, you can share pictures or your video here as well. All you need to do is put the link on a line all by itself, and it embeds itself. :smile:

Thank you for joining us! :musical_note:

#3

Thanks for the call on this Jude!

Hiya @Ekeler!

Like Jude implied, motors fascinate me! I would love to see your custom DC motor driver bit. Those are all the rage around here - to the point that I wonder if littleBits didn’t limit their’s in order to spur our creativity. Anything you can contribute to the hardware effort here is very appreciated by me, Jude and about a dozen other hardware geeks. I hope you hang out here and continue to explore this stuff.

#4

Hi Chris,

You can see my custom bit in the project I link in my original post, if you scroll through the images. I also show a time-lapse of me making it in the video. It’s really pretty basic, the L298D has built in flyback diodes so the only external component you need really is a 12V power supply. If you are using a 5V motor you could even use the LittleBits 5V power rail but depending on your power supply, the amount of “wire” bits you use and the type of motor, it might not be able to provide enough current. I assume this is why there is currently no option for a LittleBits relay or motor driver, the power supply issue complicates that beyond what you’d want from the LittleBits simplicity. But luckily we can always hack together something ourselves!

This H-bridge I used isn’t necessarily the best solution here btw but it’s thru-hole and it’s what I had on hand so it worked out pretty well. :slight_smile: