Description

You want to make a robot, as a hexapod, or a project requiring a lot of servo motors? Do you want to fly several LEDS into PWM? And your microcontroller card lacks enough output PWM? This driver module is right for you, as it has 12 outputs PWM to control servo-motors or the LED with a 12-bit precision. More this driver module uses an i2C with only two pines (SDA and SCL) necessary affair, which allows to use it without monopolizing too much pine.

The driver module has a selectable address by welding, which allows to use up to 62 shields generating total 992 PWM outputs. It possible to use other sensors or peripheral I2C that does not use the base address 0 x 40.

Based on the PCA9685 circuit here is some advantage:

• It has an internal clock, you do not have to provide a PWM value permanently, once home, remember the chip and continued to vary the output.
• Compatible 5V, but it was possible to fly from an Arduino board with 3V3 without danger signals,
• 6 addresses selectable to chain 62 shields.
• Adjustable PWM frequency 1,6 kHz
• 12 bits of resolution per channel, is a period of 4µS at 60 Hz
• Configurable in push-pull or open-drain output.

Some present extras on the driver module:

• Possibility to use a Terminal screw for the external power supply (supplies)
• Protection of polarity on the screw terminals.
• Two LED of presense of voltage (VDC and + V)
• Block of 3 pins per channel to directly connect a servo-motor, the blocks are regrouppe by 4.
• Possibility to use curved connectors to be able to stack several cards (not provided)
• Location to weld a big capacitor on line V + if needed.
• 220Ω resistors are soldered into each output PWM to protect them and to be able to drive LEDS directly.
• Jumper weldable to select the address of the driver module.

The product is sold assembled and tested with:

• 4 X 4 x 3 connectors for connecting the servo motors or LED
• 1 X terminal block screw 2 points for external power supply.
• 1 X Conecteur 1 x 6 for the I2C connection strip

Features

• Dimensions (without the headers and the screw terminals: 2.5 "x 1" x 0.1 "(62.5 mm x 25.4 mm x 3 mm))
• This I2C card use 7-bit addresses between 0 x 60 - 0x80, selectable by soldering jumper

Documentation 

Adafruit Arduino with 16-Channel Servo Driver