MakerToolbox

The MakerToolbox module provides a collection of tools for working with various electronic hardware. The goal of this module is to simplify setting up and interfacing with hardware while developing maker projects.

Imports

from MakerToolbox import *

GPIO Interfaces

The following classes can be used to interface with GPIO. Each class manages the logic for setting up GPIO depending on the hardware it represents.

RPi4 - Raspberry Pi Model 4 (B)

The RPi4 class provides a simple interface for configuring GPIO inputs and outputs for a Raspberry Pi 4 board.

class RPi4:
    @staticmethod def output_pin(pin: int) -> OutputPin
    @staticmethod def input_pin(pin: int) -> InputPin
    @staticmethod def pwm_pin(pin: int, frequency: int) -> PWMPin
    @staticmethod def cleanup()

RPi3 - Raspberry Pi Model 3 (A/B/B+)

The RPi3 class provides a simple interface for configuring GPIO inputs and outputs for a Raspberry Pi 3 board.

class RPi3:
    @staticmethod def output_pin(pin: int) -> OutputPin
    @staticmethod def input_pin(pin: int) -> InputPin
    @staticmethod def pwm_pin(pin: int, frequency: int) -> PWMPin
    @staticmethod def cleanup()

Hardware

The following classes provide interfaces for controlling various pieces of hardware.

BasicStepperDriver

The BasicStepperDriver provides a simple interface for controlling a stepper motor using only a stp and dir pin.

class BasicStepperDriver:
    def __init__(self, stp_pin: OutputPin, dir_pin: OutputPin)
    def step(self, delay: float)
    def set_direction(self, value: bool)
    def get_direction(self) -> bool:

ULN2003

The ULN2003 class provides a simple interface for controlling a ULN2003 stepper motor driver.

class ULN2003:
    def __init__(self, in1: OutputPin, in2: OutputPin, in3: OutputPin, in4: OutputPin, default_delay: float = 0.003)
    def step(self, delay: float)
    def set_direction(self, value: bool)
    def get_direction(self) -> bool:

DCMotorDriver

The DCMotorDriver class provides a simple interface for controlling a DC motor using a motor driver module.

class DCMotorDriver:
    def __init__(self, pwm: PWMPin, dir_a: OutputPin, dir_b: OutputPin, initial_speed: float = 0.5)
    def set_speed(self, speed: float)
    def stop(self)

Machines

The following classes represent 'machines' (collections of hardware) and provide methods for controlling them. Hardware

CoreXY

The CoreXY class provides a high-level interface for controlling a CoreXY motion system. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CoreXY

class CoreXY:
    def __init__(self, stepper_a: BasicStepperDriver, stepper_b: BasicStepperDriver)
    def step_together(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    @staticmethod def step_single(stepper: BasicStepperDriver, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    def north(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    def south(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    def east(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    def west(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    def north_west(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    def north_east(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    def south_west(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)
    def south_east(self, steps: int, delay_func: callable = None)

Utility

The following classes provide generic utility.

XYPosition

The XYPosition class defines a coordinate in space. Modeled as a vector.

class XYPosition:
    def __init__(self, x: int, y: int)

Algorithms

The following are implementations of different algorithms.

Paths

compute_discrete_xy_path_differentials

Computes a discrete path between two positions relative to the start position.

compute_discrete_xy_path_differentials(start: XYPosition, end: XYPosition) -> List[XYPosition]

Examples

from MakerToolbox import BasicStepperDriver, RPi4

# Move a stepper motor one direction and then the opposite direction.
stepper: BasicStepperDriver = BasicStepperDriver(RPi4.output_pin(1), RPi4.output_pin(2))
stepper.set_direction(True)
for _ in range(200):
    stepper.step()
stepper.set_direction(False)
for _ in range(200):
    stepper.step()