Reference: Vendor Capability Matrix
Vendor Overview
| Vendor | Add Method | Typical Transport | Protocol |
|---|
| Damiao | add_damiao_motor() | SocketCAN, DM Serial | DM-J4310/4340 |
| RobStride | add_robstride_motor() | SocketCAN | RobStride MIT |
| MyActuator | add_myactuator_motor() | SocketCAN | MyActuator RMD |
| HighTorque | add_hightorque_motor() | SocketCAN | HighTorque native |
| Hexfellow | add_hexfellow_motor() | CAN-FD | Hexfellow MIT |
Control Mode Support
| Vendor | MIT | POS_VEL | VEL | FORCE_POS |
|---|
| Damiao | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| RobStride | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| MyActuator | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| HighTorque | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Hexfellow | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Mode Details
- MIT: Full impedance control (pos, vel, kp, kd, tau)
- POS_VEL: Position control with velocity limit
- VEL: Pure velocity control
- FORCE_POS: Compliant position with force ratio
Transport Support
| Vendor | SocketCAN | CAN-FD | DM Serial |
|---|
| Damiao | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| RobStride | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| MyActuator | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| HighTorque | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hexfellow | ❌ | ✅ Required | ❌ |
Register Access
| Vendor | Read Registers | Write Registers | Store to Flash |
|---|
| Damiao | ✅ Full | ✅ Full | ✅ |
| RobStride | ✅ Params | ✅ Params | ✅ |
| MyActuator | ⚠️ Limited | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ |
| HighTorque | ⚠️ Limited | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ |
| Hexfellow | ⚠️ Limited | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ |
Damiao Register Summary
| RID | Name | Type | Description |
|---|
| 7 | MST_ID | u32 | Feedback ID |
| 8 | ESC_ID | u32 | Motor ID |
| 9 | TIMEOUT | u32 | Communication timeout |
| 10 | CTRL_MODE | u32 | Control mode |
| 21 | PMAX | f32 | Position range |
| 22 | VMAX | f32 | Velocity range |
| 23 | TMAX | f32 | Torque range |
| 25 | KP_ASR | f32 | Speed loop Kp |
| 26 | KI_ASR | f32 | Speed loop Ki |
| 27 | KP_APR | f32 | Position loop Kp |
| 28 | KI_APR | f32 | Position loop Ki |
RobStride Parameter Access
# RobStride uses parameter API, not generic registers
motor.robstride_get_param_f32(param_id, timeout_ms)
motor.robstride_write_param_f32(param_id, value)
Feedback State
| Vendor | Position | Velocity | Torque | MOS Temp | Rotor Temp |
|---|
| Damiao | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| RobStride | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| MyActuator | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| HighTorque | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Hexfellow | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Special Features
Damiao
- Most complete protocol support
- Full register access - All 35+ registers
- Serial bridge option - DM Serial adapter
- Motor ID configuration - Change IDs via register
RobStride
- Ping command - Discover device/responder IDs
- Parameter API - Typed parameter access (i8, u8, u16, u32, f32)
- Device ID configuration - Change device ID
MyActuator
- Standard feedback format
- Simple control interface
- No MIT mode - Use POS_VEL or VEL
HighTorque
- Native vendor protocol
- Full mode support
- Standard feedback
Hexfellow
- Requires CAN-FD - Must use
from_socketcanfd()
- No velocity mode - Use MIT or POS_VEL
- High bandwidth communication
Model Strings
Damiao
| Model | Description | Typical Use |
|---|
4310 | Small form factor | Grippers, small joints |
4340 | Medium torque | Arms, medium joints |
4340P | 4340 with position mode | General purpose |
6001 | Large torque | Legs, heavy loads |
RobStride
| Model | Description |
|---|
rs-00 | Standard RobStride motor |
MyActuator
| Model | Description |
|---|
X8 | Standard MyActuator motor |
HighTorque
| Model | Description |
|---|
hightorque | Generic HighTorque motor |
Hexfellow
| Model | Description |
|---|
hexfellow | Generic Hexfellow motor |
CAN ID Conventions
Damiao
motor_id: 0x01 - 0x20 (command ID)
feedback_id: 0x11 - 0x30 (motor_id + 0x10)
RobStride
motor_id: 127 (device ID)
feedback_id: 0xFE, 0xFF (responder ID)
MyActuator
motor_id: 1 - 32
feedback_id: 0x240 + motor_id
HighTorque
motor_id: 1 - 127
feedback_id: 0x01
Hexfellow
motor_id: 0x01 - 0xFF
feedback_id: 0x00
Code Examples by Vendor
Damiao
from motorbridge import Controller, Mode
with Controller("can0") as ctrl:
motor = ctrl.add_damiao_motor(0x01, 0x11, "4340P")
ctrl.enable_all()
motor.ensure_mode(Mode.MIT, 1000)
motor.send_mit(0.5, 0.0, 30.0, 1.0, 0.0)
RobStride
from motorbridge import Controller, Mode
with Controller("can0") as ctrl:
motor = ctrl.add_robstride_motor(127, 0xFE, "rs-00")
ctrl.enable_all()
# Ping first
device_id, responder_id = motor.robstride_ping()
print(f"Device: {device_id}, Responder: {responder_id}")
motor.ensure_mode(Mode.MIT, 1000)
motor.send_mit(0.5, 0.0, 2.0, 0.1, 0.0)
MyActuator
from motorbridge import Controller, Mode
with Controller("can0") as ctrl:
motor = ctrl.add_myactuator_motor(1, 0x241, "X8")
ctrl.enable_all()
motor.ensure_mode(Mode.POS_VEL, 1000) # No MIT mode
motor.send_pos_vel(0.5, vlim=1.5)
HighTorque
from motorbridge import Controller, Mode
with Controller("can0") as ctrl:
motor = ctrl.add_hightorque_motor(1, 0x01, "hightorque")
ctrl.enable_all()
motor.ensure_mode(Mode.MIT, 1000)
motor.send_mit(0.5, 0.0, 30.0, 1.0, 0.0)
Hexfellow
from motorbridge import Controller, Mode
# MUST use CAN-FD
with Controller.from_socketcanfd("can0") as ctrl:
motor = ctrl.add_hexfellow_motor(0x01, 0x00, "hexfellow")
ctrl.enable_all()
motor.ensure_mode(Mode.POS_VEL, 1000) # No VEL mode
motor.send_pos_vel(0.5, vlim=1.5)
Best Practices
Vendor Selection
- Damiao: Best for development - most complete protocol
- RobStride: Good for production robots - reliable protocol
- MyActuator: Good for simple applications - limited modes
- HighTorque: Good for high-torque applications
- Hexfellow: Requires CAN-FD hardware
Mixed Vendor Systems
# Use separate controllers for different vendors
with Controller("can0") as dm_ctrl:
dm = dm_ctrl.add_damiao_motor(0x01, 0x11, "4340P")
dm_ctrl.enable_all()
with Controller("can0") as rs_ctrl:
rs = rs_ctrl.add_robstride_motor(127, 0xFE, "rs-00")
rs_ctrl.enable_all()
# Control both
dm.send_mit(0.5, 0.0, 30.0, 1.0, 0.0)
rs.send_mit(0.3, 0.0, 2.0, 0.1, 0.0)
Do not mix vendors in the same Controller instance. Each vendor has a different protocol implementation.
See Also
