PiHat ModeQuickstart

Quickstart: MotorGo in PiHat Mode

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MotorGo PiHat support is in beta. This guide reflects the setup process for release, but will not work with the current software. Please check back soon for updates.

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Applies to Plink, Axis

Install the MotorGo Raspberry Pi disk image

  • Download the disk image
  • Use Raspberry Pi Disk Imager to flash the disk image to an SD card
    • Configure WiFi and SSH before writing the disk image
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Flash the MotorGo Plink 1 with the latest PiHat firmware

Open a terminal on the Raspberry Pi and run the following commands:

bash
pip install motorgo
motorgo flash

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Run the example code

In the terminal on the Raspberry Pi, run the following commands to run the example code:

Spin the motors:

bash
motorgo spin_motors

Read the IMU:

bash
motorgo read_imu

More Details

Use the Python API in your own code

python
# spin_motors.py
# Before running this script, ensure that the MotorGo Plink is
# connected to the Raspberry Pi and that it has been flashed with the
# MotorGo firmware.
 
from pyplink import Plink, BrakeMode, ControlMode
 
# Create a Plink object
plink = Plink()
 
# This command will initiate communications and confirm
# that the Plink is connected/available
plink.connect()
 
# The Plink object has 4 MotorChannel objects, corresponding to the 4 motor channels
# on the board
# You can save references as local variables for convenience (as below) or
# access them directly from the Plink object
left_motor = plink.channel1
right_motor = plink.channel2
 
# You can configure the control mode of the motor channels
# The two options are ControlMode.VELOCITY and ControlMode.POWER
left_motor.control_mode = ControlMode.VELOCITY
right_motor.control_mode = ControlMode.VELOCITY
plink.channel3.control_mode = ControlMode.POWER
plink.channel4.control_mode = ControlMode.POWER
 
# You can configure the brake mode of the motor channels
# The two options are BrakeMode.BRAKE and BrakeMode.COAST
left_motor.brake_mode = BrakeMode.BRAKE
right_motor.brake_mode = BrakeMode.BRAKE
plink.channel3.brake_mode = BrakeMode.COAST
plink.channel4.brake_mode = BrakeMode.COAST
 
# Main program loop
velocity_command = 0.0
while True:
 
    # Set the velocity command in rad/s
    left_motor.velocity_command = velocity_command
    right_motor.velocity_command = -velocity_command
 
    # Ramp up the velocity command
    velocity_command += 0.1
    if velocity_command > 5.0:
        velocity_command = -5.0
 
    # Set the power command in the range [-1, 1]
    plink.channel3.power_command = 0.5
    plink.channel4.power_command = -0.5
 
    # You can read the position and velocity of the motor channels
    print("----")
    print(
        f"Channel 1 position: {plink.channel1.position}, velocity: {plink.channel1.velocity}"
    )
    print(
        f"Channel 2 position: {plink.channel2.position}, velocity: {plink.channel2.velocity}"
    )
    print(
        f"Channel 3 position: {plink.channel3.position}, velocity: {plink.channel3.velocity}"
    )
    print(
        f"Channel 4 position: {plink.channel4.position}, velocity: {plink.channel4.velocity}"
    )
    print("----")
 
    # Delay as long as you need, communications continue in the background
    time.sleep(0.1)
PiHat ModeRaspberry Pi Setup