I am using Arduino and Ardumoto dc motor controller to drive a DC motor. I am kind of at lost because i have gone through 10 different motors. They either don't work( not enough power ) or not powerful enough to drive the robot. Can anyone tell me, max voltage and amps provided to the motors AFAIK power to the motors are supplied through VIN pin? and are there any way to supply my own power and still use ardumoto to control the dc motor?
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asked Jan 21, 2010 at 23:55
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\$\begingroup\$ Could you post links to the motors you have used, and if you would, the power supply, code, and any other customizations you have made as well, please? Also, it'd be good to know what RC car you are basing this off of. That will help us to help you \$\endgroup\$– LouJan 22, 2010 at 19:36
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2 Answers
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You could drive the motors with a separate power supply, then you can use a Darlington pair NPN transistor on the Arduino output pin, when the output switches on, the transistor supplies the necessary power to the motors.
If your wanting to use a single power supply, you could have a more suitable ac/dc PSU for the motors, then you can get a dc/dc converter to lower the voltage for powering your Arduino.
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Refer to the data sheet. 50V max at 2 amp (or anything less) This is like 100 watts. The board (chip) should have its own power supply capable of whatever voltage your motor needs at 2 amp (per channel I think or 4 amp total) 100 watts is about 1/8 hp. Should drive a small robot. What is the size and weight of your robot. Can you drive the motor directly off a power supply?
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\$\begingroup\$ My robot is a cannibalized RC car, servo on the front and a dc motor on the back the trouble is DC motor requires 7v to start and i think vin supplies 5v no? So if i disconnect vin connection to the arduino from ardumoto and connect it to the power directry i will be able to drive the motors? \$\endgroup\$ Jan 22, 2010 at 13:25