Programming and testing moteus controllers

Like with the fdcanusb, I built a programming and test fixture for the moteus controllers.  The basic setup is similar to the fdcanusb.  I have a raspberry pi with a touchscreen connected via USB to a number of peripherals.  In this case, there is a STM32 programmer, a fdcanusb, and a label printer.  Here though, unlike with the fdcanusb fixture, I wanted to be able to test the drive stage of the controllers and the encoders too.

My solution was to create a mechanical fixture that each board slots onto, with pogo pins that connect to test points for the phase outputs.

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While it doesn’t make as good a connection as the solder through holes normally used to connect a motor, it is good enough to verify that the controller works.  As a side-bonus, it also makes it trivial to test that the absolute magnetic encoder works properly.

This video shows how the programming and testing process works, and walks through testing a few boards.