Micro Maestro 6-Channel USB Servo Controller (Partial Kit)

The six-channel Micro Maestro raises the performance bar for serial servo controllers with features such as a native USB interface and internal scripting control. Whether you want high-performance servo control (0.25μs resolution with built-in speed and acceleration control) or a general I/O controller (e.g. to interface with a sensor or ESC via your USB port), this tiny, versatile device will deliver. Header pins are included but not soldered into this partial kit version (all surface-mount components are soldered).

The Micro Maestro is the smallest of Pololu’s second-generation USB servo controllers. There are 12, 18 and 24 channels modules available, contact us for more information.

The Micro Maestro is a highly versatile servo controller and general-purpose I/O board in a highly compact (0.85"×1.20") package. It supports three control methods: USB for direct connection to a computer, TTL serial for use with embedded systems, and internal scripting for self-contained, host controller-free applications. The channels can be configured as servo outputs for use with radio control (RC) servos or electronic speed controls (ESCs), as digital outputs, or as analog inputs. The extremely precise, high-resolution servo pulses have a jitter of less than 200 ns, making this servo controller well suited for high-performance applications such as robotics and animatronics. Built-in speed and acceleration control for each channel make it easy to achieve smooth, seamless movements without requiring the control source to constantly compute and stream intermediate position updates to the Micro Maestro. Units can be daisy-chained with additional Pololu servo and motor controllers on a single serial line.

A free configuration and control program is available for Windows and Linux, making it simple to configure and test the device over USB, create sequences of servo movements for animatronics or walking robots, and write, step through, and run scripts stored in the servo controller. The Micro Maestro’s 1 KB of internal script memory allows storage of servo positions that can be automatically played back without any computer or external microcontroller connected.

Because the Micro Maestro’s channels can also be used as general-purpose digital outputs and analog inputs, they provide an easy way to read sensors and control peripherals directly from a PC over USB, and these channels can be used with the scripting system to enable creation of self-contained animatronic displays that respond to external stimuli and trigger additional events beyond just moving servos.

Main Features

• Three control methods: USB, TTL (5V) 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)
• Pulse rate configurable from 33 to 100 Hz ⁽²⁾
• Wide pulse range of 64 to 3280 μs ⁽²⁾
• 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
• Channels can also be used as general-purpose digital outputs or analog inputs
• 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 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
  • Pololu USB Software Development Kit (listed under the resources tab) allows use of more advanced native USB commands and includes example code in C#
• TTL serial features:
  • Supports 300 – 200000 bps in fixed-baud mode, 300 – 115200 bps in autodetect-baud mode ⁽²⁾
  • 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
  • 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
• Compact size of 0.85" × 1.20" (2.16 × 3.05 cm) and light weight of 0.17 oz (4.8 g) with headers
• Upgradable firmware

Down load the User's guide for the Pololu Micro Maestro 6-channel USB Servo Controller and the Pololu Mini Maestro 12-, 18-, and 24-Channel USB Servo Controllers.

The Pololu USB SDK contains the code you need for making your own applications that use native USB to control the USB AVR Programmer, Jrk Motor Controller, or the Maestro Servo Controller.

This ZIP archive contains the installation files for the Maestro Control Center, the Maestro command-line utility (UscCmd), and the Maestro drivers for Microsoft Windows.

This tar/gzip archive contains the binary executable files for the Maestro Control Center and the Maestro command-line utility (UscCmd) for Linux.

Use this file with the Maestro Control Center to upgrade your Micro Maestro’s firmware. This update contains a bug fix that will make “Ignore” mode work for servo channels. The update is recommended for devices with an earlier firmware version number, including all devices shipped before November 19, 2009.