Hi,
Is there a comparison published somewhere on the site between the Orangutan SVP-1284 and the Orangutan X2? I want a general purpose controller for multiple projects I am thinking about and so I am trying to decide between these two.
Thanks,
Mike
Hello.
I don’t think we have a comparison anywhere. The SVP is our latest design and is in general better than the X2 if you don’t need the features the X2 specifically has; the main thing the X2 has going for it is the high-power motor drivers. The X2 also offloads more of the motor control and the buzzer control onto the auxiliary chip, so the main microcontroller is a bit more available to you. On the other hand, the SVP auxiliary processor can handle low-speed quadrature encoders, so if you want to use those kinds of encoders, you’d probably end up using less computing time/MCU resources on the SVP than on the X2. Some of the key advantages the SVP has are better regulated power (two 3A switching regulators instead of a single linear regulator), the larger memory of the ATmega1284, the RC servo controlling hardware, better (native) USB handling, and the lower cost.
- Jan
Thanks! Sounds the the SVP-1284 is the way to go.
The SVP-1284 is nice and the Pololu AVR library makes using it simple!
An improvement would be to move the connectors for the current sense from under the LCD or make the jumper plugs not as tall. As it is now, its a tight fit, but I made it work with some custom jumpers.
You can disconnect the motor controller from the battery connection and reroute it to the adjustable supply to better isolate the motor supply from the CPU supply. It would be a nice improvement if a connection to the adjustable supply was close to the point where the modification is made to disconnect the battery from the motor controller.
Neither of these suggestions should imply that the board has problems!
Mike
