Control DC motor

Archive SparkFun Site Questions/Comments
1

Hello,

It’s my first post on this forum :smiley: . I would like to uswe various components os Sprakfun and have a few questions about them (and I don’t know where to post it…).

I would like to control two DC motroe individually. The DC motors need to have the possebility to control the speed and the direction.

The robot I am building does not have to travel fast.

I’ve seen this motor: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc … ts_id=8911

I would like to connect the to the base using: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc … ts_id=8898

Directly connected to these wheels: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc … cts_id=421 (is it possible to connect them directly)

The motors wil be controlled using the boards (using PWM): http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc … ts_id=8905 (Do these boards alway’s draw 1A current each? Or does this depend on the resistance of the motors?)

Thanks in advance.

2

The motor controller board itself doesn’t draw up to 1A, that’s what it can control when connected to the motors.

Leon

3

Ok, so with a motor connected to the baord maxmium 1A can be drawn.

Can I connect the wheels to the motors directly? or do I need some kind of adaption?

And can I connect the motor to the base using the bracket.

Thanks in advance.

4

It depends on the speed you want. You need to do the arithmetic.

Leon

5

Sparkles:
Ok, so with a motor connected to the baord maxmium 1A can be drawn.

The controller can handle a maximum current of 1A per channel (wheel). That means that the stall current of the motor cannot exceed 1A or damage to the controller will occur. Stall current is the current that the motor draws when power is applied and the shaft is not allowed to rotate. The motor you referenced has a stall current of 360ma, so it is within the specs of the controller.

Sparkles:
Can I connect the wheels to the motors directly? or do I need some kind of adaption?

The motor can be attached directly to the wheels. The motor you referenced is rated at 440 RPM (at 6v) with a 30 to 1 gear reduction. Using PWM will give you quite a bit of flexibility with wheel speed, but the top speed is dependent on the circumference of the wheel you choose.

However, the wheel you referenced will NOT work with the motor referenced. That wheel is designed for the Tamiya gearbox. Click on your motor link and look at the related products at the bottom. Select one of the wheel choices and click on one of the photos. You will see that the wheels designed for the motors are custom made (look at how the shaft attaches to the wheel).

Sparkles:
And can I connect the motor to the base using the bracket.

It appears so based on the description. The extended mount does appear not to be compatible with some of the wheel choices, however.

You will also need a controller of some sort to set the direction pins and generate the PWM signal to feed to the controller.