Is it possible to control larger DC thrusters using the BR electronics? The idea is to install 4 large (20kgf) thrusters on my boat, vectored. The idea is to be able to move the boat, hold the heading and station keep it using the BR electronics. The motor drivers would of course need to be replaced with suitable drivers for the motor, but could the BR PWM signals control this driver for instance:
DC motor driver
Anybody tried to control large DC motors with BR electronics?
Hi,
The pixhawk can provide a pwm signal from 50 to 400Hz, the output is at 3.3V. You need to check your driver datasheet/documentation to check if this voltage is enough.
The Pixhawk is capable of two output types: ‘rc style’ pwm at 50-400Hz with 1100-1900 microsecond pulses or 0-100% duty cycle pwm at 16kHz.
This motor driver is controlled by an analog signal, so you would need some electronics to do a signal conversion for this motor driver.
These guys made some converter boards to work with Saab Seaeye falcon motors: Blue Robotics - Some really neat ArduSub integration work...
Thank you for the answers. Would the system work im the PIXHAWK output 3.3V was transformed to say, 6 or 12Volt? Through a DC/DC converter?
It is not enough information to give any recommendation, but generally yes, anything is possible.