What is ZeroDriver?

ZeroDriver is an Arduino Zero-compatible dual-motor driver board for robotics and mechatronics projects.

Robotics projects usually need two boards - a microcontroller board and a separate driver for the motors. ZeroDriver combines both in one for your convenience.

ZeroDriver comes with the same microcontroller as an Arduino Zero - a 48 MHz ARM Cortex-M0+ chip which is far more capable than an entry level Arduino Uno. The built-in motor driver chip, the Texas Instruments DRV8835, is a dual H bridge IC which can drive two separate motors, a stepper motor, or a solenoid.

What all this means is you now just need a single board to build a simple robot - less wires, less mess, and a compact package! Here’s a two wheeled robot that uses ZeroDriver and an ultrasonic sensor to navigate around:

ZeroDriver ships with the Arduino Zero bootloader installed. So you can program it using your favorite Arduino IDE. Just plug it in via USB and you’re good to go!

On the other hand, if case you decide to delve into the gory details of the SAM D21 ARM chip, we provide you with a 10-pin JTAG header for programming the board directly. Here’s ZeroDriver hooked up to an Atmel ICE:

Features & Specifications

• Atmel SAM D21 ARM Cortex-M0+ 48 MHz chip with 256KB Flash and 32KB SRAM
• Texas Instruments DRV8835 Dual Low-Voltage H-Bridge IC
• RGB LED
• Color coded terminal blocks for easy connectivity
• Standard 10-pin JTAG header broken out
• SPI header broken out
• Reverse polarity protection for power supply
• 12 V max power supply, 1.5 A current per H bridge
• Shipped with Arduino Zero bootloader for easy programming

The ARM chip in ZeroDriver comes with a number of peripherals and features. Here is a pinout diagram of ZeroDriver:

What can you do with ZeroDriver?

If you have a project idea involving motors, ZeroDriver can help. Here are some of the wild projects we have built using this board:

The above uses a stepper motor to operate a mechanical iris. Now for some motor and laser action.

The above project uses two spinning mirrors and a laser module to project amazing patterns on a wall.

The H bridge on the ZeroDriver has other uses as well.

In the project above, ZeroDriver is used to switch loads - two LED strips in this case.

ZeroDriver is not just for motors. It can be used just like a regular Arduino.

Above you can see ZeroDriver used to control MeArm, an open source robotic arm.

Python Playground Book Offer

The ZeroDriver campaign includes a special offer. Folks who buy a 4-pack of ZeroDriver will get a free book of exciting Python projects!

Mahesh Venkitachalam’s bestselling book Python Playground is "…a collection of imaginative programming projects that will inspire you to use Python to make art and music, build simulations of real-world phenomena, and interact with hardware like the Arduino and Raspberry Pi.” Free shipping to the US.

Open Source

ZeroDriver is an open source hardware project. All the code, schematic, and design files for this project can be found on the Electronut Labs GitHub repository.

In addition to open sourcing the design files, we also have put in a lot of effort to create interesting projects that showcase the capabilities of ZeroDriver. All code and design files for these projects are documented in the same GitHub repository.

Shipping

ZeroDriver ships to any country worldwide. Shipping is free to the USA and India. If shipping to India, please place the order with the international shipping surcharge, and your order total will be adjusted to free shipping after the order is placed.

Manufacturing Plan

We have a good track record with crowdfunding. Our last product, snapVCC, was successfully funded and delivered ahead of time at Crowd Supply.

ZeroDriver has gone through several rounds of prototyping to improve its design, and is now ready for production. We have done the research on manufacturing. and production quotes are in from Seeed Studio in Shenzhen, as well as manufacturers in India. All that’s needed now to bring ZeroDriver to life is your support!