Jolt.js

Jolt.js is a programmable Bluetooth Motor Driver board. Control powerful external devices such as lights, motors, solenoids and relays, all from a device that can run for months or years on a battery!

With the Espruino JavaScript interpreter on its internal ARM microcontroller, software can be uploaded, debugged and modified wirelessly from any modern computer or phone, making development of embedded devices significantly easier. Jolt.js has 8 high power outputs, capable of 1A each, as well as 4 Qwiic connectors. It can even control and be controlled by other Bluetooth LE devices.

Just got your Jolt.js? Take a look here!

Contents

• Features
• ⚠️WARNING⚠️
• Powering Jolt.js
• Solder Jumpers
• Reverse Voltage Protection
• Power Consumption
• Resetting Jolt.js
• Hard Reset
• Tutorials
• Pinout
• Terminal Block
• Information
• Motor Drivers
• Drive Current
• Wiring up loads
• Stepper Motors
• RGB LED strip
• Individually Addressable LEDs
• Analog Inputs
• Qwiic/Stemma Connectors
• Checking battery voltage
• On-board LED and Buttons
• LED
• Buttons
• NFC - Near Field Communications
• Firmware Updates
• Troubleshooting
• Other Official Espruino Boards

Features

• Bluetooth Low Energy
• Espruino JavaScript interpreter pre-installed
• nRF52840 SoC - 64MHz ARM Cortex M4, 256kB RAM, 1MB Flash
• 8x high power 1A H-bridge outputs on screw terminals
• 4x Qwiic/Stemma connectors (2x analog capable with 500mA FET, 2x with 4x GPIO)
• 2.7v to 18v input range
• Ultra low power (down to 0.008mA) when idle
• LiPo battery connector with inbuilt charger
• USB-C with USB Serial support
• 1x 3mm mounting hole
• 1x Button
• 40mm x 40mm x 12mm with protective silicone case
• PCB Dimensions: 37.2mm x 36mm

⚠️WARNING⚠️

Jolt.js allows you to power things at much higher voltages and currents than normal microcontrollers. If these higher voltages are wired up wrong they can cause sparks, get hot, and will cause electrical damage.

While we have tried to make Jolt.js as hardy as possible, there are limits to how tough we can make it while also allowing it to run off a wide voltage range with a low power consumption.

• Wiring a battery backwards to Jolt.js's terminals will destroy it.
• Powering Jolt.js with more than 18v (even for a split second) will destroy it (18v power tool batteries are more than 18v)
• The Qwiic connectors are only designed for 3.3v, so connections to these should be kept separate from the Terminal block.

We cannot offer warranty for a Jolt.js that has been wired up backwards or powered with too high a voltage

We'd recommend some safety precautions:

• If powering with a battery via the terminal block, add a sensibly sized fuse (ideally 5A maximum).
• Measure the voltage on unknown batteries with a volt meter before you use them with Jolt.js, and ensure they're under 18v and the correct polarity.
• See Powering Jolt.js below before you attempt to power Jolt.js from anything other than USB or a 3.7v LiPo battery on the JST connector
• When developing with Jolt.js, communicate via Bluetooth wherever possible. While Jolt.js can do USB, ensuring your expensive PC isn't physically connected is a great idea just in case there are any loose wires or ground loops.
• ⚠️ Some switch-mode bench power supplies are very badly regulated. While charging up the capacitors inside Jolt.js some can overshoot the selected voltage by over 60% (so 12v becomes 20v for a few milliseconds) and can destroy your Jolt.js. Please use under 12v and 100mA unless you are 100% sure of the quality of your power supply.

Powering Jolt.js

⚠️WARNING⚠️ Jolt.js is rated for 18v maximum voltage. Higher than 18v will cause damage. '18v' power tool batteries can be up to 21v when charged and are not suitable.

Jolt.js can be powered in multiple ways:

• USB-C - USB-C can power your Jolt.js from 5v, with a 1A self-resettable fuse (via a diode)
  • This can be disabled by cutting the USB + solder jumper on the rear of Jolt.js
• LiPo battery - You can plug a single cell (3.7v) LiPo battery into the JST PH connector on the board. It will power the board via a diode (rated 3A, ~0.35v drop), and will be charged with a LiPo charge circuit (at 100mA) when USB power is applied (at this point Jolt.js will be powered via USB). See Solder Jumpers below for more info on configuring for different battery situations.
• Terminal Block - you can attach 2.7 -> 18v directly to the screw terminals on Jolt.js (which are connected directly to the motor driver). We would strongly recommend you attach a fuse between Jolt.js and your battery with a trip current of not much more than you expect to draw from it (eg 5A).

USB	LiPo	Terminals	Voltage
Y			4.65v	USB 5v minus 0.35v diode voltage drop
	Y		~3.3v	LiPo voltage minus 0.35v diode voltage drop
Y	Y		4.65v	USB 5v minus 0.35v diode voltage drop, LiPo charged @ 100mA
-	-	Y	----	Terminals power motor drivers directly. Note: if USB/LiPo is connected and voltage is higher, they will be used

As mentioned above, you can change the behaviour by modifying the solder jumpers on the rear of the board:

Solder Jumpers

On the rear of Jolt.js are some pads which can be cut/soldered to change how it can be powered.

Note: these pads are connected to the LiPo/USB/terminals so should not be left bare.

• LiPo Pwr (default open) - Jolt.js includes a 3A, 0.35v drop diode from the JST battery connector to the motor drivers/terminals. If you're planning on drawing more than 3A or you want to avoid the voltage drop, you can short this jumper which shorts out the diode.
• LiPo Chg (default shorted) - Jolt.js includes a 100mA LiPo battery charger which charges a battery on the JST connector. If you don't want charging or are planning on using a multi-cell or non-LiPo battery, cut this jumper so that the battery won't be charged and the charge circuit won't be broken if the voltage is too high.
• USB Pwr (default shorted) - Jolt.js includes a 3A, 0.35v drop diode from the USB connection (plus a 1A self-resetting fuse) to the motor drivers/terminals. If you're connecting a <4.6v battery to the termnals, or you've shorted LiPo Pwr then you can cut this jumper to disconnect the diode and stop USB power being used for anything other than LiPo Charging (if LiPo Chrg is shorted)

To 'open' a shorted solder pad, you need to cut inbetween the two gold pads. ⚠️ Always check with a multimeter to ensure that the two pads really are disconnected if you need them open.

LiPo Pwr	LiPo Chg	USB Pwr	Notes
OPEN	SHORT	SHORT	Default 3.7v LiPo on JST only, with charge (but 0.35v voltage drop). Uses USB voltage when USB connected.
OPEN	SHORT	OPEN	3.7v LiPo on JST only, with charge (but 0.35v voltage drop). USB only charges battery, but doesn't power Jolt.js
SHORT	SHORT	SHORT	3.7v LiPo on JST only, high power, no voltage drop. Do NOT USE USB with battery connected
SHORT	SHORT	OPEN	3.7v LiPo on JST only, with USB charge (but not using USB voltage)
OPEN	OPEN	SHORT	3->18v battery on JST (but 0.35v voltage drop). Uses USB voltage when USB connected if battery <4.6v
SHORT	OPEN	SHORT	3->18v battery on JST, no voltage drop. Do NOT USE USB with battery connected if battery <4.6v
OPEN	OPEN	OPEN	3->18v battery on JST (but 0.35v voltage drop). USB power unused.
SHORT	SHORT	SHORT	DO NOT DO THIS - could break charge circuit

Note: By JST we mean the JST PH LiPo connector on the rear edge of the board, not the terminal block.

Reverse Voltage Protection

Jolt.js does not have reverse voltage protection - always check the polarity when you're powering Jolt.js. Wiring Jolt.js up to a battery backwards will void the warranty!

• There is a 3A diode across the terminal block inputs, so there is minimal protection if Jolt.js is wired in reverse for a very short time to low current voltage sources. However if you attach Jolt.js to a car battery backwards it'll be destroyed instantly.
• Similarly the JST battery connector has a diode from it (unless LiPo Pwr is shorted), but wiring a battery up to the JST connector in reverse will likely destroy the battery charge circuit.

Power Consumption

All power figures below are with the LCD on:

• No advertising - 0.008mA
• Advertising - 0.06mA
• Connected via BLE - 0.8mA
• Connected via BLE (1 min inactivity, or NRF.setConnectionInterval(200))- 0.05mA
• 1x Motor driver on - 2.7mA
• 2x Motor drivers on - 5.4mA
• 100% CPU usage running JavaScript
• Using NRF.findDevices to scan for devices - 12mA

Resetting Jolt.js

Occasionally you may want to hard-reset Jolt.js. To do this you just need to power cycle the board (or you can call E.reboot() from JavaScript)

Resetting Jolt.js this way will not clear out any saved code - see Hard Reset below.

Hard Reset

To clear out all saved code, reset Jolt.js while keeping the button held for around 10 seconds (even while Jolt.js's green LED is active).

Once Jolt.js has stopped flashing LEDs you can release it - this will clear out any previously saved code and bonding data that could have caused problems.

Note: If you release the button when all 3 LEDs are lit (eg the LED is white) then a self-test will be performed. Saved code will not be loaded from flash, but will not be erased from flash either - a subsequent reset will start Espruino up loading the saved code as normal.

Tutorials

First, it's best to check out the Getting Started Guide

There is more information below about using the motor driver and Qwiic connectors.

Tutorials using Jolt.js:

Tutorials using Bluetooth LE:

Tutorials using Bluetooth LE and functionality that may not be part of Pixl.js:

There are many more tutorials that may not be specifically for you device but will probably work with some tweaking. Try searching to find what you want.

Pinout

Hover the mouse over a pin function for more information. Clicking in a function will tell you how to use it in Espruino.

• Purple boxes show pins that are used for other functionality on the board. You should avoid using these unless you know that the marked device is not used.
• ! boxes contain extra information about the pin. Hover your mouse over them to see it.
• 3.3v boxes mark pins that are not 5v tolerant (they only take inputs from 0 - 3.3v, not 0 - 5v).
• GND is ground (0v).
• +V is the positive voltage input (not the same as 3.3v!).
• ADC is an Analog to Digital Converter (for reading analog voltages)

Note: Jolt.js has one available I2C, SPI and USART (and infinite software SPI and I2C). Unlike STM32-based Espruino boards, these peripherals can be used on any pin.

Terminal Block

Jolt.js comes with a 10 pin screw terminal block on one side. On it are the high power motor driver outputs, as well as screw terminals for GND and whatever voltage it is being powered from.

From the factory, the terminal blocks are closed. Even though there appears to be a hole, to insert a wire you must unscrew the terminals, insert the wire above the blade in the terminal block, and then screw the terminal block back up.

Information

• There's an API reference here
• Circuit Diagram - coming soon
• Board Layout - coming soon

Certifications:

• Jolt.js's radio module has certifications for FCC (USA), CE(EU), TELEC (Japan), SRRC (China), IC (Canada), NCC (Taiwan) and KC (South Korea)

Motor Drivers

Jolt.js has 8 powered outputs, divided between two motor drivers (H0/H1/H2/H3 are on driver 0,H4/H5/H6/H7 are on driver 1). Each output can supply 1A.

When enabled, the 2 motor drivers each draw around 2.7mA, so they are disabled by default and all outputs are then mostly (~2.5 kOhm to GND) open circuit, but are clamped with internal diodes between GND and +V on the terminal block.

Note: On preproduction firmwares there is no "auto" mode and you must manually enable the motor drivers with Jolt.setDriverMode(driverNumber,mode)

By default, the motor drivers are in "auto" mode. Setting any pin in a bank (H0/H1/H2/H3 or H4/H5/H6/H7) to an output will enable the entire bank. For instance H0.set() will enable motor driver 0 and will set H0 to VCC, but H1, H2 and H3 will then be pulled to GND. To disable the motor driver, H0 must be set back to an input (using H0.read() is the easiest but pinMode(H0,"input") or H0.mode("input") will work too if you want to be explicit about setting the pin state).

To enable a motor driver manually, use Jolt.setDriverMode(driverNumber,mode), and then set the pin to the value you want. For example:

Jolt.setDriverMode(0,true); // enables H0..H3
H0.set(); // H0 now outputs a high voltage
setTimeout(function() {
  Jolt.setDriverMode(0,false); // disables H0..H3
}, 1000);

Jolt.setDriverMode(1,true); // enables H4..H7
H4.set(); // H4 now outputs a high voltage
setTimeout(function() {
  Jolt.setDriverMode(0,false); // disables H4..H7
}, 1000);

The argument to Jolt.setDriverMode can be one of several different values (see the reference) but the most useful values are true (enable in the default mode where all pins are pulled either high or low) or false (disables, making all pins open circuit).

Drive Current

The motor drivers can supply 1A per output, however they will cut out to protect themselves if they detect too much current flowing or that they are getting too hot.

When this happens with something physical like a motor you may hear a high-pitched whine as the motor driver turns itself on and off repeatedly.

You may well find that a motor that refuses to run at a high voltage (with a whine) will run perfectly fine at a lower voltage as the current required is then low enough.

If you need to control a larger load, consider using Jolt.js to power a relay which then powers your load. Automotive relays are commonly available, will supply large amounts of current, and can easily be connected to Jolt.js's powered outputs.

If you just need a bit more power, you can always join multiple outputs together external to Jolt.js and set them at once with digitalWrite([H0,H1], true). Just ensure you don't accidentally set them to different values in software!

Note: If you attach an ammeter right across an output it won't read 1A, as the motor driver will detect a current draw higher than 1A and will turn off immediately.

Wiring up loads

Where possible, loads should be connected between GND and the motor driver. This ensures that when the motor driver is off, the ~2.5kOhm internal resistance of the motor driver is not causing excess power draw.

If you do have to attach loads between +V and the motor driver, consider powering the positive side of the load from one of the motor driver outputs too so you can turn it off when you don't need it.

Stepper Motors

Jolt.js contains a Stepper class for easy control of stepper motors. For instance you can wire a 5 wire stepper motor between GND and H0..H3, you can use the following code:

Jolt.setDriverMode(0,true); // enables H0..H3
var s = new Stepper({pins : [H0,H1,H2,H3], freq : 100 });
// step 1000 steps...
s.moveTo(1000, {turnOff:true}).then(() => {
  print("Done!");
});

RGB LED strip

Jolt.js can easily drive RGB strip where there are separate wires for red, green and blue.

This LED strip is often 'common-anode', meaning there might be a 12v wire, then R, G and B wires which need to be pulled down to ground to turn the LEDs on.

While you can connect the 12v wire direct to the +V pin on the terminal block, when the motor driver is off there is a small (2.5kOhm to GND) resistance on the motor driver pins which can cause the LEDs to light slightly (as well as some extra power draw).

To avoid this we'd recommend connecting the 12v wire to the motor drivers as well, so that everything can be turned off at the same time.

Jolt.setDriverMode(0,true);
H3.set(); // enable LEDs
function timer() {
  var c = E.HSBtoRGB(getTime()/3,1,1,true);
  analogWrite(H0, 1-(c[0]/256));
  analogWrite(H1, 1-(c[1]/256));
  analogWrite(H2, 1-(c[2]/256));
}
setInterval(timer,20);

Individually Addressable LEDs

Espruino supports sending the signals needed for WS2811/WS2812/WS2812B/APA104/APA106/SK6812 Individually Addressable LEDs (collectively called Neopixels by Adafruit) using the Neopixel library.

For some types of LED, the 3.3v signals from the Qwiic connectors are not high enough voltage to reliably drive the strip directly, but on Jolt.js you can just use the motor drivers to get the required voltage.

Even when off, the LEDs can draw a significant amount of power (up to 1mA per LED) so if you're planning on having the LEDs off for any period of time and running off a battery, consider connecting the 5v supply wire to Jolt.js's motor drivers as well as the data wire. You can then turn off the LEDs completely and go back to drawing microamps.

For example if you connect 5v to H0 and the data line to H1:

Jolt.setDriverMode(0,true);
H0.set(); // turn on the LEDs
var rgb = new Uint24Array(20); // for 20 LEDs
for (var i in rgb)
  rgb[i] = E.HSBtoRGB(i/10,1,1,24); // fill with rainbow colours
require("neopixel").write(H1, rgb); // send to the LEDs

Analog Inputs

Jolt.js has 8 analog inputs in total:

• 2 are on Qwiic connector Q0 SDA/SCL pins (returning a value of 0..1 for 0 -> 3.3v)
• 2 are on Qwiic connector Q1 SDA/SCL pins (returning a value of 0..1 for 0 -> 3.3v)
• 4 are connected via potential dividers to motor driver pins H0, H2, H4 and H6 (returning a value in volts). These can be used without the motor driver enabled.

Qwiic/Stemma Connectors

Jolt.js has 4 Qwiic/Stemma compatible connectors. Each variable (Jolt.Q0/etc) is an instance of the Qwiic class and contains at minimum sda and scl fields which correspond to the Qwiic pins.

You can use Jolt.Q0.setPower(1) to set power on the connector (see below) or Jolt.Q0.i2c to directly access an I2C Instance

For instance if you wish to control a SSD1306 OLED from the Q0 Qwiic connector you could do:

Jolt.Q0.setPower(1);
var g = require("SSD1306").connect(Jolt.Q0.i2c, function(){
  g.drawString("Hello World!",2,2);
  g.flip();
}, { height : 16 });

The rear of Jolt.js is marked as follows:

Marking	Pin
0	GND
+	VCC (3.3v)
D	SDA
C	SCL

Q0 and Q1

These have two GPIO connected to sda and scl, and have their power controlled by a 500mA FET which switches GND. To turn the connector on run Jolt.Q0.setPower(1), or use Jolt.Q0.fet to directly access the pin connected to the FET.

The sda and scl pins on these ports are also analog inputs - use analogRead(Jolt.Q0.sda)/etc

Q2 and Q3

All 4 pins are connected to Jolt.js's GPIO (including those usually used for power). As such only around 8mA of power can be supplied to any connected device.

Jolt.Q2.setPower(1) will set the GPIOs for GND and VCC such that whatever is connected to Q2 is turned on. These contain gnd and vcc fields which reference the pins connected to GND and VCC on the Qwiic connector.

Checking battery voltage

All Jolt.js's analog pins are used for GPIO so it doesn't have a built-in method of detecting the battery voltage. You have two options:

• E.getAnalogVRef() will return the voltage on the microcontroller, which is powered by a 3.3v voltage regulator. If the voltage drops below 3.3v then you know that the power source is getting close to or has dropped below 3.3v too. For Lithium ion batteries, a voltage of 3.3v means the battery is about 90% discharged.
• You can use the motor driver outputs that are capable of analog input (H0, H2, H4 and H6) - just turn one on and measure the voltage on it (you just need to ensure it's not connected to anything that you don't want turned on!). For example:

function getBatteryVoltage() {
  Jolt.setDriverMode(0,true);
  H0.set();
  return new Promise(resolve => {
    setTimeout(function() {
      let voltage = H0.analog();
      H0.reset();
      Jolt.setDriverMode(0,false);
      resolve(voltage);
    }, 50);
  });
}

getBatteryVoltage().then(print);

On-board LED and Buttons

LED

Jolt.js has 3 programmable LEDs, controllable via the LED or LED1 (red), LED2 (green) and LED3 (blue) variables.

• digitalWrite(LED,1), LED.write(1) or LED.set() turns the red LED on
• digitalWrite(LED,0), LED.write(0) or LED.reset()turns the red LED off

Buttons

There is 1 buttons on Pixl.js, accessible as BTN or BTN1.

• You can access a button's state with digitalRead(BTN1) or BTN1.read() (the two commands are identical).
• Polling to get the button state wastes power, so it's better to use setWatch to call a function whenever the button changes state:

setWatch(function() {
  console.log("Pressed");
}, BTN, {edge:"rising", debounce:50, repeat:true});

NFC - Near Field Communications

Note: as of the current 2v21 firmware build, NFC functionality is not enabled in software.

NFC hardware is available on Jolt.js, however it requires you to wire up an antenna, and to solder tuning capacitors to the two capacitor pads on the rear of the board next to the screw hole such that the antenna resonates at 13.56 MHz.

Firmware Updates

Please see the Firmware Update page for detailed instructions.

Troubleshooting

For more answers please check out the Bluetooth Troubleshooting or General Troubleshooting pages.

Other Official Espruino Boards