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A standalone board to control the DC motors of the BoxTurtle.
IMPORTANT NOTE: this design is still untested and being modified frequently as bugs/flaws are found. Do not order PCBs yet until we say it's safe!
The AFC-Lite is the preferred board for the BoxTurtle, but it is quite expensive and is only available on xbst's store (which is fair). However, many of us (myself included) already have a stash of old 3D printer controller boards to take care of the stepper motors, so only the DC motors were left without a standalone solution to control them. This board is an attempt to solve this situation.
I designed the board to be as easy and cheap as possible; with that in mind, here are the design constraints:
This board was made with modularity in mind, so you'll need to buy those modules from Aliexpress (or any other source as long as the footprint matches; if they don't, you'll need to modify the PCB yourself):
| Component | No. Needed | Comment | Sourcing URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.08mm Screw Terminal | 1 | Power Input | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Screw-span-style-background-color-ff0-terminal-span_MAX-MX129-5-08-02P-GN01-Cu-Y-A_C5188485.html |
| Automotive Mini-Blade Fuse Holder | 1 | Takes Mini Automotive Fuses | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Fuse-Holders_XFCN-XF-506P_C492610.html |
| 2A Mini Automotive fuse | 1 | For circuit safety | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Automotive-Fuses_Littelfuse-0297002-WXNV_C151091.html |
| DC-DC 3A buck converter | 1 | Pick the 5V version | https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007031557776.html |
| LDO 800MA DC 5V to 3.3V buck converter | 1 | They come with right angle pin headers, you have to swap for straight pins | https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007792706354.html |
| DRV8837 2 Way DC H-Bridge | 2 | Pick the version with 2 drivers on the board | https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007587993921.html |
| SN65HVD230 CAN Network Transceiver Board | 1 | Optional, only if CAN bus will be used. You may need a jumper for the termination resistor if this is at the end of the CAN bus | https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006438437964.html |
| Jumper | 1 | If you doesn't have one | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Shunts-Jumpers_TE-Connectivity-2-881545-2_C5166780.html |
| Pin socket 2 pins | 4 | For the 5V buck converter module | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Female-Headers_BOOMELE-Boom-Precision-Elec-2-54-1-2P_C49661.html |
| Pin socket 3 pins | 1 | For the 3.3V buck converter module | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Female-Headers_BOOMELE-Boom-Precision-Elec-2-54-1-3P_C146243.html |
| Pin socket 4 pins | 1 | For the CAN transceiver module | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Female-Headers_BOOMELE-Boom-Precision-Elec-2-54-1-4P_C2718488.html |
| Pin socket 8 pins | 4 | For the DRV8837 modules | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Female-Headers_BOOMELE-Boom-Precision-Elec-2-54-1-8P_C27438.html |
| Pin socket 20 pins | 2 | For the MCU | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Female-Headers_Megastar-ZX-PM2-54-1-20PY_C7499336.html |
| JST XH 2 pins | 4 | To connect the DC motors | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Wire-To-Board-Connector_JST-B2B-XH-A-LF-SN_C158012.html |
| JST XH 3 pins | 12 | To connect the endstops | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Wire-To-Board-Connector_JST-B3B-XH-A-LF-SN_C144394.html |
| Schottky diode | 2 | You can reallistically use whatever through hole Schottky diode you have, even the BAT85 that used to be used on magnetic probes on old VORON releases | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Schottky-Diodes_STMicroelectronics-BAT48_C283476.html |
| Switch | 1 | For selecting USB ou buck converter power | https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/Slide-Switches_Korean-Hroparts-Elec-K3-1204D_C145861.html |
| Raspberry Pi Pico, or... | 1 | MCU (Pick one) | https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003708090298.html |
| Raspberry Pi Pico 2, or... | 1 | MCU (Pick one) | https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/1005005714757487.html |
| STM32F401 BlackPill | 1 | MCU (Pick one) | https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006127461676.html |
Copyright Vinícius N. Cordeiro 2025-2026
This source describes Open Hardware and is licensed under the CERN-OHL-S v2 or any later version. You may redistribute and modify this source and make products using it under the terms of the CERN-OHL-S v2. (https://ohwr.org/cern_ohl_s_v2.txt)
This source is distributed WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, INCLUDING OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Please see the CERN-OHL-S v2 for applicable conditions.
Source Location: https://github.com/VinnyCordeiro/BT_DC_motor_board
As per CERN-OHL-S v2 section 4, should You produce hardware based on this source, You must where practicable maintain the Source Location visible on the PCB.
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