Arduino Motor Shield

The Arduino Motor Shield is one of the most popular Arduino Shields to have been developed so far, and this is owed to its sheer functionality, being one of the most diverse and user-friendly motor Shields to date. It is equipped with dual L293D motor drivers and a 74HC595 shift register, which allows it to drive 2 Servo Motors, up to 2 Stepper Motors, up to 4 full bridge DC Motors and up to 8 half-bridge drivers – or a combination of these. It is also compatible with Arduino Uno R3 and Mega 2560.

This Arduino Motor Shield is a robotics hobbyist’s dream, as it can easily become the only motor driver necessary for controlling and driving all of the motors in small robots, remote control vehicles and other fun projects. Additionally, this Shield can be improved upon even further by simply adding more L293D motor drivers in “piggyback” style – by simply soldering them on top of the L293D motor drivers on the board. This can step up the power of the drivers as the chips work in parallel, boosting the maximum current, which is typically 0.6A per bridge with 1.2A peak.

Finally, this fantastic package is very easy to use, for both beginner and veteran Makers, and all you need to do is download this AF_Motor Arduino Library, and follow these simple instructions from Adafruit. Just be sure to provide enough power to driver your motors, and ensure that you double check the power requirements and user manual sections to avoid any unnecessary problems.

Additional Resources:

http://playground.arduino.cc/Main/AdafruitMotorShield

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/projects/arduino-motor-shield-tutorial/

Typical Applications for the Arduino Motor Shield:

As you would probably expect, the Arduino Motor Shield is most often used for driving multiple motors simultaneously, and as such has enjoyed a lot of popularity amongst RC vehicle builders and enthusiasts. With the ability to driver servo motors as well, it is also a popular choice for driving the motors of small robots and robotic applications. With that said, the following are great examples of how the Arduino Motor Shield can be utilized:

• Building a small robot, where the Shield drives two bi-directional motors to move around on wheels, and two servo motors to control limbs.
• Designing an all-terrain vehicle with four-wheel drive – with each wheel being controlled individually to traverse seemingly tricky terrains.
• Bringing to life a unique and exciting LEGO monster, built from your own imagination and powered by Arduino – Possibly even with the ability to climb, swim or jump with the right combinations of bricks and motors.

This Arduino Motor Shield is truly offers amazing value for its price, and offers an excellent level of functionality for many different RC vehicle and robotics applications. And to make it even better, it can even be upgraded if necessary by simply soldering more chips directly on top of the existing chips, making it a worthwhile investment for any RC or robotics hobbyist.

When it comes to building unique electronics projects, there are few better ways to do it than with Arduino. Founded with the intent to make electronics prototyping accessible to all, regardless of age, culture, sex or any other factors, Arduino is one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of open-source hardware and software.

Some of the leading microcontroller boards that Arduino has produced include the classic Arduino UNO, as well as many variations with different specialisations and specifications. Some of the most popular Arduino boards – which we stock of course – are the Arduino Mega, Leonardo, Due, Micro, Nano, Mini, as well as the unique Arduino LilyPad. And with these boards at hand, as well as a Shield or two, you can craft thousands of different projects, with each one being tailored to your specific needs, wants and personal tastes.