The SMD Starter Kit is designed to introduce you to the exciting world of motion control and mechatronics—without the need for prior experience. Whether you're a curious student, an enthusiastic hobbyist, or an educator building hands-on STEM content, this kit provides a smooth and intuitive entry point to smart motion systems.
Who Is It For?
Students exploring robotics and automation for the first time
Educators looking to implement hands-on STEM content
Hobbyists and makers wanting to build motion-based projects
Beginners seeking a plug-and-play introduction to Acrome’s SMD ecosystem
What’s Inside the Box?
Everything you need to start building right away:
1x 37mm Motor Mount (90 degrees) with anodized black paint
1x 9x11 Plate for SMD Products
1x 12Vdc-5A SMPS Adapter
Note: A PC, Arduino (with additional SMD Arduino gateway) or controller with a USB host port (such as Raspberry Pi, Jetson etc.) is required to use the SMD products.
What Can You Build?
Obstacle-detecting robot prototypes
Smart motor testbeds
Distance-aware LED signaling systems
Educational experiments in motion control
Each project helps you understand fundamental principles like:
Sensor integration
Motor control with feedback
Visual programming (Blockly)
Python scripting for automation
There are 4 operation modes for motor control: PWM, Velocity, Position and Current control modes.
All these modes allow the user to discover the different ways to drive a motor, enhancing the imagination.
The Starter Kit project codes shown below with all these motor control mode explanations:
Mode 1 - PWM: Motor rotates at a duty cycle corresponding to the value received from the joystick X axis
Mode 2 - Velocity: The velocity of the motor increases or decreases according to the X and Y axis of the joystick
Mode 3 - Position: The joystick acts like the edges of a circle on a coordinate system. It makes the motor rotate at angle of the joystick.
Learn by Doing
The Starter Kit is fully compatible with:
SMD Blockly – Drag-and-drop programming for absolute beginners
Python SDK – Code and customize projects with real-time feedback
Use official sample codes or create your own—from the very first minute, you’ll be in full control of your hardware.
Key Benefits
Beginner-friendly: No prior coding or electronics knowledge required
Multi-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
Ideal for STEM: Teach motion control through hands-on learning
Expand as You Go
Already finished your first few projects? The SMD Starter Kit is fully expandable. Add new modules like joysticks, servo motors, or line sensors without changing your setup. Build on what you’ve learned and evolve your system into a complete smart robot.
Assembly Guide
A detailed step-by-step assembly guide is available as a PDF document:
Codes
from smd.red import *
from serial.tools.list_ports import comports
from platform import system
import math
import os
import time
import json
import logging
from datetime import datetime
logging.basicConfig(
filename=f'motor_log_{datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")}.log',
level=logging.INFO,
format='%(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s'
)
class MotorConfig:
"""Engine configuration class"""
DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
'CPR': 6533,
'RPM': 100,
'JOYSTICK_DEADZONE': 10,
'MAX_SPEED': 100,
'MIN_SPEED': -100,
'UPDATE_INTERVAL': 0.1
}
@staticmethod
def load_config(filename='Starter Kit/motor_config.json'):
try:
with open(filename, 'r') as f:
return {**MotorConfig.DEFAULT_CONFIG, **json.load(f)}
except FileNotFoundError:
logging.warning("Configuration file not found, using default settings.")
return MotorConfig.DEFAULT_CONFIG
class MotorModes:
"""Enum-like class for engine modes"""
PWM = 0
VELOCITY = 1
POSITION = 2
TORQUE = 3
@staticmethod
def get_mode_name(mode):
modes = {
0: "PWM Mode",
1: "Speed Mode",
2: "Position Mode",
3: "Torque Mode"
}
return modes.get(mode,"Unknown Mode")
class MotorController:
"""Main engine control class"""
def __init__(self, port, motor_id=1):
self.master = Master(port)
self.id = motor_id
self.config = MotorConfig.load_config()
self.mode = 0
self.setup_motor()
self.last_update = time.time()
# Durum değişkenleri
self.motor_speed = 0
self.angle_degrees = 0
self.current_limit = 100
self.current_value = 0
self.previous_current = 0
self.torque_status = True
def setup_motor(self):
"""Engine start settings"""
try:
self.master.attach(Red(self.id))
self.master.set_shaft_cpr(self.id, self.config['CPR'])
self.master.set_shaft_rpm(self.id, self.config['RPM'])
# Kontrol parametreleri
self.master.set_control_parameters_velocity(self.id, 30.0, 5.0, 0.0)
self.master.set_control_parameters_position(self.id, 0.5, 0.0, 20.0)
self.master.set_control_parameters_torque(self.id, 3.0, 0.1, 0.0)
self.master.enable_torque(self.id, True)
logging.info("Engine started successfully")
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Engine start failure: {e}")
raise
def safe_joystick_read(self):
"""Secure joystick reading"""
try:
return self.master.get_joystick(self.id, 1)
except Exception as e:
logging.warning(f"Joystick reading error: {e}")
return [0, 0, 0]
def emergency_stop(self):
"""Emergency stop"""
try:
self.master.enable_torque(self.id, False)
self.master.set_duty_cycle(self.id, 0)
logging.info("Emergency stop was carried out")
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Emergency stop error: {e}")
def handle_pwm_mode(self, joystick_x):
"""PWM mode handler"""
self.master.set_operation_mode(self.id, OperationMode.PWM)
if abs(joystick_x) > self.config['JOYSTICK_DEADZONE']:
self.motor_speed = joystick_x
self.master.set_duty_cycle(self.id, -self.motor_speed)
else:
self.master.set_duty_cycle(self.id, 0)
self.motor_speed = 0
return {"Motor Duty Cycle": self.motor_speed}
def handle_velocity_mode(self, joystick_x, joystick_y):
"""Velocity mode handler"""
self.master.set_operation_mode(self.id, OperationMode.Velocity)
if (joystick_x > 50 or joystick_y > 50) and self.motor_speed < self.config['MAX_SPEED']:
self.motor_speed += 1
elif (joystick_x < -50 or joystick_y < -50) and self.motor_speed > self.config['MIN_SPEED']:
self.motor_speed -= 1
self.master.set_velocity(self.id, -self.motor_speed)
return {"Motor Speed": self.motor_speed}
def handle_position_mode(self, joystick_x, joystick_y):
"""Position mode handler"""
self.master.set_operation_mode(self.id, OperationMode.Position)
if abs(joystick_x) < 10 and abs(joystick_y) < 10:
try:
current_position = self.master.get_position(self.id)
self.angle_degrees = current_position * (360/self.config['CPR'])
except:
pass
else:
x = joystick_x / 100.0
y = joystick_y / 100.0
angle = math.atan2(y, x)
previous_angle = self.angle_degrees
self.angle_degrees = (math.degrees(angle) + 360) % 360
if self.angle_degrees - previous_angle > 180:
self.angle_degrees -= 360
position = self.angle_degrees * (self.config['CPR']/360)
self.master.set_position(self.id, position)
return {"Engine Angle": f"{self.angle_degrees:.2f}°"}
def handle_torque_mode(self, joystick_x, joystick_y):
"""Torque mode handler"""
self.master.set_operation_mode(self.id, OperationMode.Torque)
if joystick_x > 50 or joystick_y > 50:
self.current_limit += 1
elif joystick_x < -50 or joystick_y < -50:
self.current_limit -= 1
self.master.set_torque(self.id, self.current_limit - 50)
try:
self.previous_current = self.current_value
self.current_value = self.master.get_torque(self.id)
except:
self.current_value = self.previous_current
if self.current_value >= self.current_limit:
self.current_value = self.current_limit
return {
"Motor Current": f"{self.current_value:.2f}",
"Current Limit": self.current_limit
}
def USB_Port():
ports = list(comports())
usb_names = {
"Windows": ["USB Serial Port"],
"Linux": ["/dev/ttyUSB"],
"Darwin": [
"/dev/tty.usbserial",
"/dev/tty.usbmodem",
"/dev/tty.SLAB_USBtoUART",
"/dev/tty.wchusbserial",
"/dev/cu.usbserial",
"/dev/cu.usbmodem",
"/dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART",
"/dev/cu.wchusbserial",
]
}
os_name = system()
if ports:
for port, desc, hwid in sorted(ports):
if any(name in port or name in desc for name in usb_names.get(os_name, [])):
return port
print("Current ports:")
for port, desc, hwid in ports:
print(f"Port: {port}, Description: {desc}, Hardware ID: {hwid}")
else:
print("No port found")
return None
def main():
# USB port bulma
port = USB_Port()
if not port:
logging.error("No port found")
return
# Motor kontrolcüsü oluşturma
controller = MotorController(port)
while True:
try:
# Joystick durumunu oku
joystick_x, joystick_y, button = controller.safe_joystick_read()
# Mod değişimi kontrolü
if button:
controller.mode = (controller.mode + 1) % 4
logging.info(f"Chance Mode: {MotorModes.get_mode_name(controller.mode)}")
time.sleep(0.5)
logging.info(f"Current mode: {MotorModes.get_mode_name(controller.mode)}")
if controller.mode == MotorModes.PWM:
status = controller.handle_pwm_mode(joystick_x)
elif controller.mode == MotorModes.VELOCITY:
status = controller.handle_velocity_mode(joystick_x, joystick_y)
elif controller.mode == MotorModes.POSITION:
status = controller.handle_position_mode(joystick_x, joystick_y)
elif controller.mode == MotorModes.TORQUE:
status = controller.handle_torque_mode(joystick_x, joystick_y)
else:
logging.error("Invalid mode selected")
print(f"=== {MotorModes.get_mode_name(controller.mode)} ===")
print("-" * 40)
for key, value in status.items():
print(f"{key}: {value}")
print("-" * 40)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
logging.info("The program was terminated by the user")
controller.emergency_stop()
break
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Unexpected error: {e}")
controller.emergency_stop()
break
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()
#include <Acrome-SMD.h>
#define BAUDRATE 115200
#define CPR 6533
#define ID 1
Red master(ID, Serial, BAUDRATE);
int mode = 0; // Motor control mode (0: PWM, 1: Velocity, 2: Position, 3: Torque)
int motorSpeed = 0;
int currentLimit = 100;
bool torqueEnabled = true;
void setup() {
master.begin();
master.torqueEnable(1);
Serial.begin(115200);
}
void loop() {
start();
}
void start(){
int joystickX, joystickY, button;
joystickX = (master.getJoystickX(1))?master.getJoystickX(1):0;
joystickY = (master.getJoystickY(1))?master.getJoystickY(1):0;
button = (master.getJoystickButton(1))?master.getJoystickButton(1):0;
if (button) {
delay(3000);
mode = (mode + 1) % 4;
master.torqueEnable(0); delay(100);
master.torqueEnable(1); delay(100);
}
switch (mode) {
case 0: // PWM Control
master.setOperationMode(PWMControl);
if (abs(joystickX) > 10) {
motorSpeed = joystickX;
master.setpoint(0, -motorSpeed);
} else {
master.setpoint(0, 0);
}
Serial.println("*** MODE 1: PWM ***");
Serial.print("Motor Duty Cycle: "); Serial.println(motorSpeed);
break;
case 1: // Velocity Control
master.setOperationMode(VelocityControl);
if (joystickX > 50 || joystickY > 50) {
motorSpeed = constrain(motorSpeed + 1, -100, 100);
} else if (joystickX < -50 || joystickY < -50) {
motorSpeed = constrain(motorSpeed - 1, -100, 100);
}
master.setpoint(2, -motorSpeed);
Serial.println("*** MODE 2: Velocity ***");
Serial.print("Motor Speed: "); Serial.println(motorSpeed);
break;
case 2: // Position Control
master.setOperationMode(PositionControl);
if (abs(joystickX) > 10 || abs(joystickY) > 10) {
float angle = atan2(joystickY / 100.0, joystickX / 100.0);
float angleDegrees = fmod(degrees(angle) + 360.0, 360.0);
int position = angleDegrees * (CPR / 360.0);
master.setpoint(1, position);
Serial.println("*** MODE 3: Position ***");
Serial.print("Motor Angle: "); Serial.println(angleDegrees);
}
break;
case 3: // Torque Control
master.setOperationMode(TorqueControl);
if (joystickX > 50 || joystickY > 50) {
currentLimit++;
} else if (joystickX < -50 || joystickY < -50) {
currentLimit--;
}
master.setpoint(3, currentLimit - 50);
int current = master.getTorque();
Serial.println("*** MODE 4: Torque ***");
Serial.print("Motor Current: "); Serial.println(current);
Serial.print("Current Limit: "); Serial.println(currentLimit);
if (current >= currentLimit) {
master.torqueEnable(0);
torqueEnabled = false;
Serial.println("Motor movement disabled due to the current exceed!");
}
break;
default:
break;
}
}
1x Smart Brushed Motor Driver with Speed, Position and Current Control Modes
1x , 100 RPM speed
1x for SMD Products
1x for SMD Products
Mode 4 - Current: The motor will draw a current value less than 50 mA which is set as the limit by the joystick. If something physically interrupts motor from moving, it naturally will try to draw a higher current to maintain its torque. The register becomes False and motor operation halts.