What is it?

This is a shield or wing with an RS485 bus transceiver to connect RS485 compatible devices to your Arduino Nano, such as Dynamixel smart servos, or simply connect up to 256 of your Nanos over larger distances with a robust, industry-proven and reliable bus system. RS485 is also very useful in EMI noisy environments.

Why did you make it?

I needed an RS485 shield for my Arduino and could not find anything that fits nicely. So I created this to use this for legged robots to control smart servo controllers like Sensorimotors. Also, you can finally connect the well known Dynamixel Servos with a small-sized Nano-Board.

What makes it special?

In comparison to other (cheap) RS485 breakout boards, this one uses a high-quality ESD protected and fully fail-safe RS485 transceiver and perfectly fits onto an Arduino Nano (or compatible) board. Further advantages are:

• the shield provides a separate voltage regulator and your Arduino and peripherals are directly powered from your bus with up to 15V, 500mA.
• you can place an optional termination resistor, which is usually 120 Ohms, but maybe different for your specific bus transmission line or power specification.
• You have two connections on the board to simplify daisy-chaining.

What do you get?

You get a soldered (SMD parts) and tested board including sockets and a termination resistor, which you should place at each end of the daisy-chain to reduce reflections. Optionally, you can get it with Molex connectors, if you plan to use it for Dynamixels or Sensorimotors. Please note: there is no Arduino Nano (or compatible) board included.

Electrical Specs

• LTC2850 RS485 transceiver
• input voltage 5-16V DC
• up to 256 bus nodes
• Dynamixel compatible Molex connectors

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.