The L298N is a popular motor driver integrated circuit (IC) commonly used in robotics and electronic projects to control DC motors and stepper motors. It’s a dual H-bridge driver, which means it can control the direction and speed of two DC motors independently or drive a single stepper motor. Here are some key features and information about the L298N motor driver:
- H-Bridge Configuration: The L298N IC is designed as an H-bridge, which allows it to control the polarity and voltage supplied to a DC motor, enabling forward, reverse, and braking motions. It can handle up to 2 amps per channel.
- Dual Motor Control: This motor driver IC can control two motors simultaneously, making it suitable for applications like robot wheels or other devices that require precise control of multiple motors.
- Stepper Motor Control: In addition to DC motors, the L298N can also control a stepper motor. It provides a simple way to control stepper motors with four wires (two coils) or five wires (unipolar configuration).
- Input Voltage: The L298N typically operates on a wide input voltage range, often between 7V and 35V. This flexibility makes it compatible with various power sources, including batteries and power supplies.
- Current Sensing: It has built-in current sensing and thermal protection features, which help protect the motor driver from overheating or overloading.
- Pinout: The L298N typically comes in a 15-pin package, with pins for controlling each motor, power supply input, and other control signals.
- Control Logic: To control the L298N, you need to provide logical signals (HIGH or LOW) to its control pins, which determine the motor’s direction and speed. You can use a microcontroller (e.g., Arduino) or other digital logic circuits to provide these signals.
Here’s a basic pinout for the L298N:
- EN1, EN2: Enable pins for motor 1 and motor 2. When these pins are high, the respective motor is enabled. When low, the motor is turned off.
- IN1, IN2, IN3, IN4: Input pins for controlling the direction and speed of the motors. By changing the logical states of these pins, you can control the motor’s direction and speed.
- OUT1, OUT2, OUT3, OUT4: Output pins for connecting to the terminals of the motors.
- Vs (Supply Voltage): Connect the positive terminal of your power supply (within the specified voltage range) to this pin.
- GND: Connect the ground (negative) terminal of your power supply to this pin.
