Pololu TReX - Manual (Page 7)

motor is considered “motor 1”. The motor speed/direction indicator LEDs will not work in this mode, nor will current
sensing or channel mixing. Although it is not shown in the figure above, you can additionally control an auxiliary
motor while running in “joint motor mode”.
3.b. Signal Connections
RC/analog signals should connect to the interior of the three channel columns, which are located on the left side of
the board; this connection is represented by the white wire in the figure below.
The middle column is connected to the TReX’s regulated power (Vcc) through the “+=Vcc” (BEC) jumper and will
provide 5 V to your RC receiver or analog controller when this jumper is in place. This connection is represented by
the red wire in the figure below. If you want to power your RC receiver or analog controller from a source other than
the TReX, make sure you remove the BEC jumper.
Warning: This middle Vcc column is tied to the output of a linear voltage regulator, so current output
is limited by thermal dissipation. The regulator will only be able to safely supply a maximum of
100 mA when VIN is 16 V (it has a 1-W power dissipation rating). This is typically sufficient for
powering an analog joystick or RC receiver, but it is insufficient for powering servos. If you want to
connect servos to some of your RC receiver channels, you must power your RC receiver separately
and disconnect the BEC jumper. Attempting to use the TReX’s regulated Vcc line to power servos can
permanently damage the TReX.
The exterior column is ground and is represented by the black wire in the figure below. Your input source and the
TReX must share a common ground, even if you are powering your input source from something other than the
TReX. You only need to make a single ground connection.
TReX RC/serial input signal connections
In addition to RC/analog connections, you can connect the TReX to either an RS-232 (COM) or logic-level (TTL)
serial port. Note that you should not simultaneously have both RS-232 and TTL connected. The figure above depicts
the two possible serial connections. The serial pins are labeled from the perspective of the TReX, meaning you should
connect the TReX’s TX or SO line to your target’s receive line (the green wire in the figure above); your TReX’s RX
Pololu TReX User's Guide © 2001–2013 Pololu Corporation
3. Getting Started Page 7 of 24