{"id":468,"date":"2014-07-01T18:57:17","date_gmt":"2014-07-01T22:57:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itp.nyu.edu\/physicalcomputing\/?page_id=468"},"modified":"2022-11-06T17:28:04","modified_gmt":"2022-11-06T22:28:04","slug":"dc-motor-control-using-an-h-bridge","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/itp.nyu.edu\/physcomp\/labs\/motors-and-transistors\/dc-motor-control-using-an-h-bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab: DC Motor Control Using an H-Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to control a DC motor’s direction using a DC Motor Driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To reverse a DC motor, you need to be able to reverse the direction of the current in the motor. The classic way to do this is using an H-bridge circuit<\/a>. Though most motor driver chips these days are not in fact H-bridge circuits, the term still persists. This tutorial uses a Toshiba motor driver, the TB6612FNG, which can actually drive two DC motors. Both Sparkfun, Adafruit, and Pololu make breakout boards for the motor driver, though the Sparkfun one is shown in the examples below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the lab, an alternative motor driver, the L9110H, is shown. This motor driver can only drive one motor at a time, unlike the TB6612FNG, but it’s more inexpensive than the TB6612FNG. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you simply want to turn a motor on and off, and don’t need to reverse it, for example if you’re controlling a fan, try the tutorial on controlling high current loads with transistors<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What You\u2019ll Need to Know<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To get the most out of this lab, you should be familiar with the following concepts. You can check how to do so in the links below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n