Hardware miniE v2

The miniE v2 is based on the Arduino DUE. This is because the computing power and the memory the DUE has to offer is needed to do the sort of things the miniEngine v2 is designed for. The mineEngine v2 can control two motors at the same time and thus two stepper-motor are required to do so.

Here is a list of major components needed to set up a miniEngine v2:

1x Arduino DUE
1x ITDB02-2.4E Display (320×240 Pixel, SD-Card, Touch) from ITEAD Studio – this is also available from other distributors – check your Search engine
1x miniEngine 2 Arduino shield (can be bought on www.airiclenz.com)
1x or 2x Stepper Motor Drivers (BigEasyDriver is recommended and supported)
1x or 2x Stepper Motors (up to 2A per phase)
1x 7V-15V Power supply capable of supplying up to 4A

This is how it looks like when fully assembled and connected to two motors and a DSLR (without an enclosure):

Here is a view from the bottom side that shows how the BED-board (which was designed to be a nice place for two Big EasyDrivers) is connected to the bottom side of the Arduino and also how it is connected (electrically) to the main shield:

This is the whole system including the main shield and all the components needed to make the magic happen:

And finally the bill of material for the shield:

11x 20kΩ Resistor
5x 1kΩ Resistor
3x 120Ω Resistor
1x 4.7kΩ Resistor
7x 100nF Capacitor
1x 5A Rectifier Diode
1x 2.5mm Stereo Jack
1x 3.5mm Stereo Jack
1x 2-Channel Optocoupler (LTV826)
1x Differential Bus Transceiver (SN75176B)
1x 2-Channel Op-Amp (LM358)
1x Hex Inverting Schmitt Trigger (SN74HC14N)
2x Tactile Switch
2x 18×1 Male Pin Header
4x 8×1 Male Pin Header
1x 20×2 Female Pin Header
1x 3×2 Female Pin Header
1x Rotary Encoder with Press Function (PEC11)
1x Limit Switch Connector (Generic 2×3, THT, 2.54mm / 0.1″ pitch header)
1x Trigger inputs & alternative Camera output (Generic 2×3, THT, 2.54mm / 0.1″ pitch header)

33 thoughts on “Hardware miniE v2”

Bo on 2013-12-26 at 16:18 said:

Hi Airic!
I appreciate your great work! I had much fun building up and using the first system – one can do really cool stuff with your controller 🙂
I just wanted to ask if you are completely sure, that a modular-plug (and cable) resists to a current of about 2A?
I think it could resist or it could just burn. Further on, if i remember correctly, interrupting the connection between stepper and the driverchip, kills the driverchip by a huge inductive load.
Therefore, a burnt cable or plug or simply unplugging the stepper while the system is running could destroy the complete electronics. Correct me if i’m wrong 😉

Reply ↓
- Airic Lenz on 2013-12-26 at 16:42 said:
  
  Hello Bo,
  
  thank you for your feedback!
  The modular jacks I am using are rated to 1.5A per contact (4 contacts: 2 phases with 2 wires per phase). My motors take up to 1.2A and I never had any problems but you are right – the current draw needs to be kept in mind. I will add a comment regarding this to the documentation.
  
  You are also right that disconnecting the motor when powered can destroy the motor driver.
  
  Have fun using the system!
  Airic
  
  Reply ↓
  - Bo on 2013-12-26 at 19:18 said:
    
    Thanks for your fast reply!
    Just another question: Are you using a standart phone cord or a selfmade cable with the plugs to connect stepper and driver?
    
    Reply ↓
    - Airic Lenz on 2013-12-26 at 19:53 said:
      
      I use a curled cable which was originally attached to the motor.
      
      Reply ↓
Ben Diger on 2014-02-07 at 05:17 said:

I made a 3d printable case for this I thought I would share
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:241814

Reply ↓
- Ryan on 2014-03-17 at 17:50 said:
  
  Thanks for your design Ben!
  http://www.thingiverse.com/make:69856
  
  Reply ↓
Gianfranco on 2014-03-28 at 09:39 said:

Hi Aric!
First of all many compliments for your “very professional” job.
I have a question regarding the LCD 2.4″ display.
I have found on ebay this:
http://www.ebay.it/itm/350882550045?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
It seems change the controller (SSD1289 vs. S6D1121)

Could i use it instead than suggested ITDB02-2.4E ?

Thanks in advance

Gianfranco

Reply ↓
- Airic Lenz on 2014-03-28 at 10:07 said:
  
  Sure you can but I cannot guarantee that everything will work! There were other people that used other displays and had problems with them. Please check the forum for further question.
  
  Airic
  
  Reply ↓
Thomas on 2014-04-09 at 17:19 said:

Triggering the (Canon) Camera doest work. When I plug in the cable into cam, it direct releases. This happens even unpowered. Doesnt happen unpowered without Arduino board. Any suggestions?

Reply ↓
- Airic Lenz on 2014-04-10 at 09:26 said:
  
  This sounds like a wrongly wired cable (did you buy one or built it yourself?) or some other shorts or cross connections on the board. It is also important that you set the camera type to “Canon” in the software.
  
  Please use the forum for further questions / answers.
  Sheers
  Airic
  
  Reply ↓
Israel Munoz on 2014-08-15 at 03:25 said:

hey I just finish the first project its awesome, doing my homework for the second one not till i fix some bugs with the first one
thank great job Mr Lenz

Reply ↓
Allard Doornebal on 2015-01-11 at 23:45 said:

Hello Mr. Lenz,

Very nice project and well documented!
Can you pls recommend stepper motors?
What do you advice as power supply? Battery I mean,

Best regards, Allard

Reply ↓
- Airic Lenz on 2015-01-12 at 09:39 said:
  
  Hello Allard,
  
  please check the forum for more information: http://forum.airiclenz.com/
  
  In case your questions were not answered by the existing material, please feel free to ask new ones in the forum.
  
  Cheers,
  Airic
  
  Reply ↓
Max Buitrago on 2015-01-21 at 08:36 said:

Hi, Airic I have a problem with my newly built MiniEngine2, BTW I tried registering on the forum but it will no let me, system seems to be down?

I assembled all components carefully and loaded software, the board powers up and I get the blank lit up screen but nothing happens from there, after a while the screen goes black and when I press the start button it lights up again, could this be a harware issue?

Reply ↓
Alper on 2016-03-15 at 15:22 said:

Hi How Can I buy MiniEngine 2 Arduino Shield.Pls Help me ?

Reply ↓
- derek on 2016-07-20 at 08:12 said:
  
  https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Products
  
  Reply ↓
- Airic Lenz on 2016-07-20 at 09:33 said:
  
  http://shop.airiclenz.com/
  
  Reply ↓
Jan on 2016-04-14 at 14:26 said:

Hello Airic,

are there any plans to extend the project for giga panoramic pics? I guess it could be implemented easily?
It’s a great project, thanks for sharing your knowledge

Have a great day
Jan

Reply ↓
derek on 2016-07-20 at 08:11 said:

The ardunio DUE is now a retired a board 🙁

What can I used instead.. an UNO? or MEGA 2560?

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardMega2560

Thanks! This is awesome awesome work and documentation btw!

Reply ↓
- Airic Lenz on 2016-07-20 at 09:40 said:
  
  I can find it for example at amazon.com. Shouldn’t be a problem to still buy it.
  
  Reply ↓
Marco on 2017-04-03 at 18:49 said:

Hi Airic,
I would like to know the function of the 3,5mm. stereo jack, referred to as COM.
I did not find any reference in the documentation, and also in the forum I have not found anything about this feature.

Best regards,
Marco

Reply ↓
- Airic Lenz on 2017-04-04 at 10:20 said:
  
  The COM-port is for interconnecting different miniEngines together. This allows for more than 2 motors or multiple cameras. Right now it supports daisy chaining up to 15 units.
  Hope that explains it,
  Airic
  
  Reply ↓
  - Marco on 2017-04-04 at 20:10 said:
    
    …Now it’s all clear.
    Thank you so much, Airic..!
    Marco
    
    Reply ↓
Sebastian on 2017-05-21 at 22:20 said:

where can i buy the version 2?

Reply ↓
Peter on 2017-06-02 at 21:57 said:

Hello,
Is there still the miniE v2 to buy?

Reply ↓
FirstDonna on 2017-10-04 at 06:49 said:

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Reply ↓
Max Gibson on 2017-10-04 at 09:40 said:

Are there any miniE version 2 available ?

Also, there was a talk about possibility of a version 3 with smaller boards and more power for running larger motors and faster drivers etc. Any news from that front ?

MAx

Reply ↓
Michael on 2017-10-20 at 22:17 said:

Hallo Airic,
die Frage meines Vorgängers interessiert mich auch. Arbeitest du noch an der miniE oder hast du für Dich das Projekt eingestellt?

Grüße Michael

Reply ↓
monty on 2018-01-01 at 06:41 said:

Hello,
Is there still the miniE v2 to buy?

Reply ↓
Adrian on 2018-02-06 at 23:09 said:

Where can I buy the miniEngine v2? Doesn’t appear on the shop

Reply ↓
Robert D on 2018-03-11 at 22:57 said:

Where can i buy the miniEngine v2 ??
Thanks

Reply ↓
ole on 2018-07-31 at 19:33 said:

where can i buy the version 2?

Reply ↓
Robert Geisler on 2018-09-11 at 21:41 said:

I need the Sprint from Engine v2

Its Not in teh Shop

Reply ↓

miniEngine

An open-source, Arduino based intervalometer and multi-axis motion-control system for time-lapse and video photography.

Hardware miniE v2

33 thoughts on “Hardware miniE v2”

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