Pololu Corporation Micro Maestro 6 Manuale utente
1. Overview
The Maestros are Pololu’s second-generation
family of USB servo controllers. The Maestro
family consists of four controllers, each available
fully assembled or as a partial kit:
•Micro Maestro 6 [https://www.pololu.com/
product/1350]
•Mini Maestro 12 [https://www.pololu.com/
product/1352]
•Mini Maestro 18 [https://www.pololu.com/
product/1354]
•Mini Maestro 24 [https://www.pololu.com/
product/1356]
With three control methods — USB for direct connection to a P computer, TTL serial for use
with embedded systems, and internal scripting for self-contained, host controller-free applications
— and channels that can be configured as servo outputs for use with radio control (RC) servos
[https://www.pololu.com/category/23/rc-servos] or electronic speed controls (ES s), digital outputs, or
analog/digital inputs, the Maestro is a highly versatile servo controller and general I/O board in a
highly compact package. The extremely precise, high-resolution servo pulses have a jitter of less
than 200 ns, making the Maestro well suited for high-performance animatronics, and built-in speed
and acceleration control make it easy to achieve smooth, seamless movements without requiring the
control source to constantly compute and stream intermediate position updates to the Maestro. The
Maestro features configurable pulse rates (up to 333 Hz for Mini Maestros) and can generate a wide
range of pulses to allow maximum responsiveness and range from modern servos. Units can be daisy-
chained with additional Pololu servo and motor controllers on a single serial line.
Pololu Maestro Servo ontroller User’s Guide © 2001–2022 Pololu orporation
1. Overview Page 4 of 102
A free configuration and control program is available for Windows and Linux (see Section 4), making
it simple to configure and test the board over USB, create sequences of servo movements for
animatronics or walking robots, and write, step through, and run scripts stored in the servo controller.
The Maestro’s internal script memory allows storage of servo positions that can be automatically
played back without any computer or external microcontroller connected (see Section 6).
The Maestros’ channels can also be used as general-purpose digital outputs and analog or digital
inputs, providing an easy way to read sensors and control peripherals directly from a P over USB.
These inputs can be used with the scripting system to enable creation of self-contained animatronic
displays that respond to external stimuli.
AUSB A to mini-B cable [https://www.pololu.com/product/130] (not included) is required to connect this
device to a computer.
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1. Overview Page 5 of 102
Features
• Three control methods: USB, TTL (5 V) serial,
and internal scripting
• 0.25μs output pulse width resolution
(corresponds to approximately 0.025° for a
typical servo, which is beyond what the servo
could resolve)
• onfigurable pulse rate and wide pulse range
(see the Maestro comparison table below)
• Individual speed and acceleration control for
each channel
• hannels can be optionally configured to go to
a specified position or turn off on startup or error
• Alternate channel functions allow the channels
to be used as:
◦ General-purpose digital outputs (0 or
5 V)
◦ Analog or digital inputs (channels 0 –
11 can be analog inputs; channels 12+
can be digital inputs)
◦ One channel can be a PWM output
with frequency from 2.93 kHz to
12 MHz and up to 10 bits of resolution
(see Section 4.a for details)
• A simple scripting language lets you program
the controller to perform complex actions even
after its USB and serial connections are
removed
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The Channel Settings tab in the Maestro
Control Center.
The Status tab in the Maestro Control
Center.
• Free configuration and control application for
Windows and Linux makes it easy to:
◦ onfigure and test your controller
◦ reate, run, and save sequences of
servo movements for animatronics and
walking robots
◦ Write, step through, and run scripts
stored in the servo controller
• Two ways to write software to control the
Maestro from a P :
◦ Virtual OM port makes it easy to
send serial commands from any
development environment that
supports serial communication
◦Pololu USB Software Development
Kit [https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J41]
allows use of more advanced native
USB commands and includes example
code in #, Visual Basic .NET, and
Visual ++
• TTL serial features:
◦ Supports 300 – 200,000 bps in fixed-
baud mode, 300 – 115,200 bps in
autodetect-baud mode
◦ Simultaneously supports the Pololu
protocol, which gives access to
advanced functionality, and the simpler
Scott Edwards MiniSS II protocol
(there is no need to configure the
device for a particular protocol mode)
◦ an be daisy-chained with other
Pololu servo and motor controllers
using a single serial transmit line
◦ hain input allows reception of data
from multiple Mini Maestros using a
Pololu Maestro Servo ontroller User’s Guide © 2001–2022 Pololu orporation
1. Overview Page 7 of 102
single serial receive line without extra components (does not apply to Micro
Maestros)
◦ an function as a general-purpose USB-to-TTL serial adapter for projects controlled
from a P
• Board can be powered off of USB or a 5 – 16 V battery, and it makes the regulated 5V
available to the user
• Upgradable firmware
Pololu Maestro Servo ontroller User’s Guide © 2001–2022 Pololu orporation
1. Overview Page 8 of 102
Maestro Comparison Table
Micro
Maestro
Mini
Maestro 12
Mini
Maestro 18
Mini
Maestro 24
Channels: 6 12 18 24
Analog input
channels: 6 12 12 12
Digital input
channels: 0 0 6 12
Width:
0.85"
(2.16 cm)
1.10"
(2.79 cm)
1.10"
(2.79 cm)
1.10"
(2.79 cm)
Length:
1.20"
(3.05 cm)
1.42"
(3.61 cm)
1.80"
(4.57 cm)
2.30"
(5.84 cm)
Weight(1):3.0 g 4.2 g 4.9 g 6.0 g
Configurable pulse
rate(2):
33–100 Hz 1–333 Hz 1–333 Hz 1–333 Hz
Pulse range(2):64–3280 μs 64–4080 μs 64–4080 μs 64–4080 μs
Script size(3):1 KB 8 KB 8 KB 8 KB
1This is the weight of the board without header pins or terminal blocks.
2The available pulse rate and range depend on each other and factors such as baud rate and number of
channels used. See Section 9 for details.
3The user script system is more powerful on the Mini Maestro than on the Micro Maestro. See Section 6.d for
details.
Pololu Maestro Servo ontroller User’s Guide © 2001–2022 Pololu orporation
1. Overview Page 9 of 102
Micro Maestro as the brains of a tiny
hexapod robot.
Application Examples
• Serial servo controller for multi-servo projects
(e.g. robot arms, animatronics, fun-house
displays) based on microcontroller boards such
as the BASI Stamp, Orangutan robot
controllers [https://www.pololu.com/category/8/
robot-controllers], or Arduino platforms
• omputer-based servo control over USB port
• omputer interface for sensors and other
electronics:
◦ Read a gyro or accelerometer
[https://www.pololu.com/category/80/
accelerometers-gyros-compasses] from a
computer for novel user interfaces
◦ ontrol a string of ShiftBrites
[https://www.pololu.com/product/1222] from
a computer for mood lighting
• General I/O expansion for microcontroller
projects
• Programmable, self-contained Halloween or
hristmas display controller that responds to
sensors
• Self-contained servo tester
1.a. Micro Maestro Pinout and Components
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1. Overview Page 10 of 102
Micro Maestro power pins.
Micro Maestro 6-channel USB servo controller
(fully assembled) labeled top view.
Note: This section applies to the Micro Maestro servo controller. Please see Section
1.b for Mini Maestro pinout and component information.
The Pololu Micro Maestro 6-channel servo controller can connect to a computer’s USB port via a
USB A to mini-B cable [https://www.pololu.com/product/130] (not included). The USB connection is used
to configure the servo controller. It can also be used to send commands to the servo controller, get
information about the servo controller’s current state, and send and receive TTL serial bytes on the
TX and RX lines.
The processor and the servos can have separate power
supplies.
Processor power must come either from USB or from
an external 5–16V power supply connected to the VIN
and GND inputs. It is safe to have an external power
supply connected at the same time that USB is
connected; in such cases the processor will be powered
from the external supply. Note that if the external supply
falls below 5 V, correct operation is not guaranteed, even
if USB is also connected.
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1. Overview Page 11 of 102
Micro Maestro configured to use
a single power supply for both
board and servos.
Servo power connections are provided in the upper right corner of the Micro Maestro board. Servo
power is passed directly to the servos without going through a regulator, so the only restrictions on
your servo power supply are that it must be within the operating range of your servos and provide
enough current for your application. Please consult the datasheets for your servos to determine an
appropriate servo power source, and note that a ballpark figure for the current draw of an average
straining servo is 1 A.
You can power the Maestro’s processor and servos from a single
power supply by connecting the positive power line to both VIN
and the servo power ports. An easy way to accomplish this on the
Micro Maestro is to solder a wire on the bottom of the board
between VIN and one of the servo power connections as shown
in the picture to the right. Only one ground connection is needed
because all ground pins on the board are connected.
The 5V (out) power output allows you to power your own 5V
devices from the on-board 50mA regulator or directly from USB.
The on-board regulator is used whenever VIN is powered; in this
case, since the Maestro requires 30 mA, there is about 20 mA
available to power other devices.
The SIG lines (0,1,2, …) are used for sending pulses to servos, controlling digital outputs, and
measuring analog voltages. These lines are protected by 220Ω resistors. The total current limit (in or
out) for these pins is 60 mA, but when using the on-board regulator the current out is limited to 20 mA
(see above.)
The RX line is used to receive non-inverted TTL (0–5 V) serial bytes, such as those from
microcontroller UARTs. These bytes can either be serial commands for the Maestro, arbitrary bytes to
send back to the computer via the USB connection, or both. For more information about the Maestro’s
serial interface, see Section 5.a. Note that the Maestro will probably be able to receive 3.3V TTL serial
bytes, but it is not guaranteed to read 3.3V as high on the RX pin, so you should boost 3.3V TTL serial
signals to above 4V if you want to ensure reliable operation.
The TX line transmits non-inverted TTL (0–5 V) serial bytes. These bytes can either be responses
to serial commands sent to the Maestro, or arbitrary bytes sent from the computer via the USB
connection.
The RST pin can be driven low to reset the Maestro’s microcontroller, but this should not be necessary
for typical applications. The line is internally pulled high, so it is safe to leave this pin unconnected.
Driving RST low is roughly equivalent to powering off the Maestro; it will not reset any of the
configuration parameters stored in non-volatile memory. To reset the configuration parameters, select
Pololu Maestro Servo ontroller User’s Guide © 2001–2022 Pololu orporation
1. Overview Page 12 of 102
Mini Maestro 12-channel USB servo controller (fully
assembled) labeled top view.
Device > Reset to default settings… in the Maestro ontrol enter.
Micro Maestro 6-channel USB servo controller
bottom view with quarter for size reference.
The dimensions of the Micro Maestro P B are 1.2″ × 0.85″. The mounting holes have a diameter of
0.086″and are intended for #2 or M2 screws. The vertical and horizontal distances between the two
mounting holes are 0.65″ and 0.575″. The Micro Maestro weighs 3.0 g (0.11 oz) without header pins.
1.b. Mini Maestro Pinout and Components
Pololu Maestro Servo ontroller User’s Guide © 2001–2022 Pololu orporation
1. Overview Page 13 of 102
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