Micro Maestro USB Servo Controller - Simulatneous Control

Support Servo controllers and servos
1

Hi,
I wanted to confirm this feature before I buy the Micro Maestro USB Servo Controller.

  1. Why are the scripts forced to be stored in the controller with limited memory and then run, rather if you had enabled the script feature to be able to control the servos directly from the host pc it would have been great and we dont have to deal with SDKs. is my understanding correct ?

  2. Even if I use the USB SDK, would it allow me to control all the servos simultaneously as opposed to sequentially programming each servos one after another. This feature is needed for controlling my hexapod servos (3 DOF/leg)

Thanks
JP

2
  1. The main purpose of the scripting language is to allow your Maestro to perform actions autonomously, without the need for a connection to a PC or a microcontroller.

The 8KB memory on the Mini Maestros should be way more than most users need; if you try it and find that you need more memory, please let us know because that would be good to know! Also note that the 8KB limit applies to the compiled script, not the source code. For example, the code “100 delay” takes only 3 bytes of the Maestro’s memory when it is compiled.

The Maestro scripting language is quite limited because it was designed to run on a 8-bit microcontroller; if you are writing software to control the Maestro from a PC, it makes more sense to use a powerful programming language like C#.

Even if we did implement a scripting engine on the PC, there would still be a need for an SDK so that you can do complex things like control the Maestro from a webpage or add Maestro control to your own software.

Yes. The Maestro is designed to let you control all your servos simultaneously regardless of how you send commands to it. The time it takes for a PC program to send 18 Set Target requests to the Maestro over USB is going to be a lot less than the standard 20 ms servo pulse rate, so there shouldn’t be any perceptible lag. (Note that you don’t have to send Set Target commands constantly, you only send them when you want your servos to move to a different position.)

If you just want to make your hexapod walk and you don’t want to do any programming, I suggest you use the Sequencer feature of the Maestro Control Center. See the Maestro User’s Guide for information on that.

-David

3

Thanks very much. your reply makes a lot of sense. I am new to the concept of servos and the 50 Hz pulse rate.
By the way I have ordered my mini maestro 24