I am looking for a method to control a 12vdc pump. I am using a pressure sensor that out puts a 0-5v signal. I want use this signal as an input to the controller that will control the pump. The basic premise of the system is that as the fluid heats up and pressure starts to drop, the motor will speed up to maintain a semi static pressure. The system needs to be able to accept a 0-5v input and have pwm on the output. There needs to be an element of robustness to these components, eventually they will be going into a case and mounted. The pump draws up to 30A, but more realistically draws 9A. I have tentatively selected the following 2 products: pololu.com/catalog/product/706 pololu.com/catalog/product/1615
Will these 2 products be sufficient for my needs? I’m new to making electronics, so pardon the silly questions. I am an EE and Journeyman Electrician, so this system should be easy enough to figure out.
The Arduino should make a suitable controller, and the VNH2SP30 motor driver you linked to might work, though you will be pretty close to its limits of operation, especially if you are using it in a confined space. You might consider getting our dual VNH5019 motor driver shield for Arduino and using the two drivers in parallel to get more current (this will also let the board run cooler). The user’s guide explains how to modify the shield to run in single-channel mode (i.e. with both output channels paralled):
Silly question, how do you terminate wires onto the driver board? Am I supposed to purchase terminals and solder them to the board or just solder wires to the board? Terminals would be ideal.
The board comes with headers and terminal blocks, as mentioned on the product page and this picture. If you want more permanent connections, though, you can solder wires to the board directly.
