Skip to content

dc_motors: Config Reference

This is a config file reference. Click for instructions.

This page is reference material which explains every setting and option for this section of an MPF yaml config file. See the instructions for config files for formatting and other details. See our guide to config file examples for more examples of real configs in action.

Valid in
machine config files YES ✅
mode config files NO 🚫

The dc_motors: section of your config is where you specify any DC motor devices in your machine, as well as configuring the control events that will cause the dc_motors to activate.

Note that most platforms use coils: instead, along with coil_player:; at initial release, only the FAST 0051 EXP board supports the dc_motor config definition described on this page.

Here's an example dc_motors: section with a dc_motor defined - my_dc_motor, as well as two shaking event options, mid_dc_motor and hi_dc_motor:

fast:
  exp:
    boards:
      0051board:
        model: FP-EXP-0051

dc_motors:
  my_dc_motor:
    number: 0051board-1
    control_events:
      mid_dc_motor:
        # action: pulse # pulse is default
        duration: 500ms
        power: 0.25
      hi_dc_motor:
        action: pulse
        duration: 500ms
        power: 0.25
      stop_dc_motor:
        action: stop

For each dc_motor in your dc_motors: section, the following settings apply:

Required settings

The following sections are required in the dc_motors: section of your config:

number:

Single value, type: string. Defaults to empty.

This is the number of the dc_motor which specifies which driver output the dc_motor is physically connected to. The exact format used here will depend on which control system you're using and how the dc_motor is connected. In practice with the FAST 0051, it will be the board name, and then -1 or -2 as the 051 supports two motor outputs.

See the How to configure "number:" settings guide for details.

Optional settings

The following sections are optional in the dc_motors: section of your config. (If you don't include them, the default will be used).

default_power:

Single value, type: number (will be converted to floating point). Default: 0.0

The default power used if a control event does not otherwise specify one.

platform:

Single value, type: string. Defaults to empty.

Name of the platform this dc_motor is connected to. The default value of None means the default hardware platform will be used. You only need to change this if you have multiple different hardware platforms in use and this coil is not connected to the default platform.

See the Mixing-and-Matching hardware platforms guide for details.

platform_settings:

Single value, type: dict. Defaults to empty.

Dict of platform specific settings. Consult your platform documentation for those settings.

control_events:

Dict of one (or more) values, each is a type: dc_motors_pulse_settings:, described below. Defaults to empty.

Control events to manage the behavior of the motor.

dc_motor_pulse_settings:

action: single|enum(pulse,stop)|pulse
power: single|float|None
duration: single|template_secs|None

action:

Single value, type: one of the following options: pulse, reverse_pulse, stop. Default: pulse

Whether this control event should cause a pulse of power to the driver, pulse in reverse, or should stop any current power (coasting).

power:

Single value, type: number (will be converted to floating point). Default: None

What power setting to use for the dc_motor when the event is received. If unset, the default_power value will be used.

duration:

Single value, type: time string (ms) (Instructions for entering time strings). Default: None

What duration to pulse the power for when the control event is received.

console_log:

Single value, type: one of the following options: none, basic, full. Default: basic

Log level for the console log for this device.

debug:

Single value, type: boolean (true/false). Default: false

Enables more detailed debug information to be added to the log (when verbose logging is enabled).

file_log:

Single value, type: one of the following options: none, basic, full. Default: basic

Log level for the file log for this device.

tags:

List of one (or more) values, each is a type: string. Defaults to empty.

Tags work like tags for any device. Nothing special here.

Something missing or wrong? You can fix it!

This website is edited by people like you! Is something wrong or missing? Is something out of date, or can you explain it better?

Please help us! You can fix it yourself and be an official "open source" contributor!

It's easy! See our Beginner's guide to editing the docs.

Page navigation via the keyboard: < >

You can navigate this site via the keyboard. There are two modes:

General navigation, when search is not focused:

  • F , S , / : open search dialog
  • P , , : go to previous page
  • N , . : go to next page

While using the search function:

  • Down , Up : select next / previous result
  • Esc , Tab : close search
  • Enter : go to highlighted page in the results