1. WIRELESS PROPORTIONAL PWM VALVE CONTROLLER
You can remotely control up to 4 Proportional Solenoid Valves, read the solenoids status and check the current system parameters! You can also use the board outputs to switch ON/OFF other devices like DC motors or Digital Servos, inductive or resistive loads. The board can use XBee or XBee PRO radio modules if you need to implement mesh networking. Ex-Board provides 5 input ports to read data from sensors or from RC receivers for remote applications in order to let you control all the board behavior and the solenoids by using a RC Transmitter; the standard version of ExBoard includes a Wi-Fi communication board based on the powerful ESP8266-01 module!
- XBee or XBee PRO
- RC Input
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with ESP8266-01 Module
2. PWM CURRENT CONTROL
Proportional valve spool position is strictly related to the applied current and not the applied voltage. This is because coil resistance is not constant, but rather it increases with temperature. Ex-Board comes with a temperature sensor so it is possible to compensate the temperature’s changes by software. The current ranges from 1.0 amps to 2.0 amps according to most valve manufacturers. It is possible to set the maximum current (the standard value is 2.0A) and to use PWM to proportionally open and close the valve in order to regulate the flow and the pressure.
- Current range: 0 – 2A
- Temperature compensation
- User can change the PWM behavior by writing its own code
3. EASY TO PROGRAM AND CONFIGURE
You can set every single features in Ex-Board by writing our own C++ code or by using the Arduino IDE. In this way, user can choose when to switch ON/OFF the solenoids, how to set and configure the fluid flow by changing the proportionality on the hydraulics valves. It is also possible to manage all the inputs (RC, digital or analog inputs) or to use the PWM outputs for different purposes like controlling DC motors, servos or fans.
4. ROS STANDARD
The Ex-Board is the first and only board for PWM proportional hydraulics valve control which can be used with ROS and Linux without problems. In order to let all the ROS users enjoy all the features of our board, it is possible to launch a ROS node that offers all the functionalities of the board and let the user controls everything by changing parameters in the launch file (ex-board.launch).
5. EXTENSIBILITY AND MODULARITY
Do you need extra outputs or inputs channels? Do not worry! just use more than one Ex-Board and stack them on top of each other! Contact us if you need specific customization.
6. CPU AND ALGORITHMS
Ex-Board comes with two versions: a basic version equipped with an overclocked ATMEL AVR Microcontroller which runs at 16Mhz and a more powerful version equipped with a ARM Cortex-A CPU for users who need to run complex algorithms. In both cases, it is possible to program the board to operate in different ways and to switch ON/OFF valves depending on events or specific inputs (i.e. if input1 > 500, then switch ON valve #3)
7. ROBUST AND FULLY ISOLATED
One of the most important aspect for a proportional valve control is to avoid noises and sparks since they can destroy or reset the CPU by generating dangerous errors or damages both on valves and also on other devices. For this reason, Ex-Board is fully isolated thanks to a powerful isolated power supply and all the signal control area is opto-isolated from the power electronics; this solution provides the best stability and performances in every conditions.
