moteus

Board ratings are not a complete actuator rating

For example, the overview lists a 10–44 V input range for r4.11 and 10–54 V for n1 and x1. It distinguishes uncooled, cooled and peak phase current. Those are upstream board figures, not a measured continuous torque rating for a motor, gearbox or assembled robot. The hardware archive includes revisioned board designs and some mechanical models; this review did not validate their geometry or fabrication outputs. [S001] [S012]

The onboard encoder route needs a diametrically magnetized magnet fixed to the motor rotor, with the board rigidly centered above it at approximately a 2 mm gap. The r4 encoder is offset from the mounting-hole pattern. The n1 guide also calls for an opaque enclosure because its regulator is light-sensitive. These are variant-specific mounting requirements, not interchangeable enclosure advice. [S005]

Power integration comes before motion

The electrical guide calls out absent reverse-polarity protection, inrush management and avoiding hot-plugged XT30 connections. Braking returns energy to the DC bus, so a supply that can only source current may be insufficient. Regeneration settings, energy absorption and voltage headroom must be considered together for the selected load. Software limits alone do not establish a validated power system. [S006]

CAN wiring, termination and connector quality also matter, especially as the number of controllers increases. The guide recommends a different power-distribution arrangement beyond three devices on a chain. A controller purchase therefore does not cover the cost or design of a multi-joint power and communications system. [S006]

Configure, calibrate and then tune

The documented host tools include moteus-gui and its tview interface on Linux, Windows and macOS. Linux USB adapters may need device-access rules. These installation instructions were inspected but not executed. [S007]

Before motion, choose application-specific position, phase-current, velocity and acceleration limits, gear scaling and a unique CAN-FD ID. Bare boards leave default velocity and acceleration limits unset. Parameter edits are volatile until saved with conf write; a working session is not proof that its configuration will survive a restart. [S008]

Bare boards require calibration for the attached motor, repeated after a motor change or a change in its registration with the controller. The normal procedure rotates the unloaded motor in both directions and includes high-speed motion. Calibration power must suit the motor; the documented default is not appropriate for every size. Development kits are typically pre-calibrated, which does not carry over automatically to a modified motor assembly. Position-loop tuning follows calibration and should use physically achievable acceleration limits. [S009] [S010]

Firmware releases distinguish the application ELF from the CAN bootloader ELF. Normal CAN flashing uses the application image; bootloader recovery is a separate SWD procedure. The source-build guide specifies x86-64 Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04 and a Bazel route. Its printed dependency-install line is incomplete as a shell command, so this profile does not present that sequence as a tested installation recipe. [S011]

What is open, and what remains to be supplied

The repository declares Apache-2.0 for files unless otherwise noted and contains board designs, firmware, client software and documentation. External components and dependencies need their own license assessment; the project names also have a separate trademark policy. A complete delivered budget remains unknown because it depends on the selected board, motor, magnet, mounting, cooling, power equipment, adapter and tools. No board was manufactured, firmware flashed, motor calibrated or performance measured for this profile. [S001] [S003] [S005] [S006] [S007] [S012]