Native usb interface, Virtual serial port, Section 7 – Pololu Simple User Manual
Page 101
The Pololu USB SDK contains example code for
the Simple Motor Controller in C#, Visual C++,
and Visual Basic .NET.
7. Writing PC Software to Control the Simple Motor Controller
There are two ways to write PC software to control a Simple Motor Controller: the native USB interface and the
virtual serial port. The native USB interface provides more features than the serial port, such as the ability to change
configuration parameters and select the Simple Motor Controller by its serial number. Also, the USB interface allows
you to recover more easily from temporary disconnections. The virtual serial port interface is easier to use if you
are not familiar with programming, and it can work with existing software programs that use serial ports, such as
LabView.
Native USB Interface
The
supports Windows and
Linux, and includes the source code for:
• SmcExample1: a simple example application that
uses native USB and has three buttons for setting the
motor speed. Versions of this example are available in
C#, Visual Basic .NET, and Visual C++.
• SmcExample2: an example graphical application
that has a scrollbar for setting the motor speed over
native USB (written in C#).
• SmcCmd: a command-line utility for configuring and controlling the Simple Motor Controller (written in
C#).
• Smc: A .NET class library that enables native USB communication with the Simple Motor Controller (written
in C#).
You can modify the applications in the SDK to suit your needs or you can use the class library to integrate the Simple
Motor Controller in to your own applications.
Virtual Serial Port
Almost any programming language is capable of accessing the Simple Motor Controller’s virtual COM port. We
recommend the Microsoft .NET framework, which is free to use and contains a SerialPort class that makes it easy to
read and write bytes from a serial port. You can download Visual Studio Express (for either C#, C++, or Visual Basic)
and write programs that use the SerialPort class to communicate with the Simple Motor Controller. You will need to
set the Simple Motor Controller’s serial mode to be either “Binary” or “ASCII” depending on which command set
you want to use. See
for example code that uses the virtual COM port.
Pololu Simple Motor Controller User's Guide
© 2001–2014 Pololu Corporation
7. Writing PC Software to Control the Simple Motor Controller
Page 101 of 101