I spliced the LiDAR and Motor wires to make them much longer, just about doubling the length of all of them. This resolved the issue I had previously where the wires would get wrapped around the system, causing it to snag, break wires, and/or pull the Arduino off my desk.
I spent some time designing an Arduino shield for this project. Click here for the full resolution schematic.
I wanted to reduce the messy clutter of wires that cover my breadboard. I ordered a 3 pin header for the LiDAR, four 8 pin headers (two for each stepper driver), a DC barrel plug, and some breakaway headers. The schematic and board were designed in Eagle. All the Eagle files will be included on the project Github when I confirm the board works. I also intend to host the other hardware files so that anyone can replicate this project.
The board also includes pin connections to the M0 and M1 driver pins so that I can later run the system at finer resolutions.
The DRV8834 drivers will sit on the pin headers attached to the board, allowing easy removal should I ever need to adjust the current again. All of the cables are already male jumper wires, so they’ll connect right into their corresponding headers.
I sent the board files to OshPark for fabricating. It cost $21.90 to make three of these shields, and they should be arriving within a week.