Hey guys,
By request of @bsancken and others on this fourm, I’ve created a UART Splitter (uSplit) for connecting multiple (up to 3) UART based add-on devices to VESC based motor controllers. The uSplit acts as a middle man between theconnected devices and the ESC, allowing each of them to talk to the ESC as if it is the only one connected.
Legacy info
TYPES:
There are two types currenlty in the works. The two way splitter allows 2 devices to share a single UART port of a VESC based ESC. LEDs on the back of the splitter indicate when communication is taking place on any of the 3 UART ports.
1:2 UART Splitter
The three way splitter allows 3 devices to share a single UART port of a VESC based ESC. LEDs on the top of the splitter indicate when communication is taking place on any of the 4 UART ports.
1:3 UART Splitter
The uSplit:
DEMOS:
TESTED DEVICES AND FEATURES:
These are the ESCs and devices I know have been tested by myself or a customer.The list is not exhaustive, but meant to provide insight into the possible uses of the uSplit.
ESCs:
- FOCbox
- VESC 6 (MKIII & IV)
- Dual FSESC6.6
- Dual FSESC4.2
- Go-FOC Retro
ADD-ONs:
-
Metr Pro Bluetooth Module
- Basic Telemetry
-
DAVEga Display
- Basic Telemetry
- ESC Motor Settings Info
-
DAVEga X Display
- Basic Telemetry
- ESC Motor Settings Info
-
TelTail Lighting System
- Motor Data Plotting
- Reactive Tail Light
- Flipsky VX1 Remote
INABILITYS:
The uSplit is not recommended to be used with UART based remotes that send throttle command over UART. This is typically referred to as operating in “UART ONLY” mode. If the remote receiver has a PWM output for throttle, but receives telemetry through UART (like the Flipsky VX1) then it is safe to use with the uSplit.
The uSplit struggles with CAN forwarded messages. This means, if you have a smart BMS connected to your ESC through CAN and a UART device that checks the battery status through UART, then it is very possible to run into communication issues. This is being worked on but testing is slow due to my limited resources.
Original thread: UART Splitter for VESC Based ESCs