Guidance on the controlling of 3v dc motors


I have a small project that centers on off- road motorcycle googles. I am wanting to be able to to control the RPM and the length of motor activation. Two motors will be utilized, only one motor activated at a time though. O ok new motor to pull a film across the goggle lens and then the other motor to pull the film back
I have built a fixed prototype, now I need to find smaller and lighter equipment to control the motors. Any input will be greatly appreciated. This electronic equipment is all novel to me.

Thank you for your interest in our motor drivers and controllers. Here is a link to our brushed DC motor drivers:

And here is a link to our brushed DC motor controllers:

I cannot make a specific recommendation on what you might need without knowing more about your motors, power supply, and how you want to control them. For example, if you want to control your motors through a microcontroller using a low level interface, than you can use one of our motor drivers, whereas our motor controllers provide higher level control interfaces.

- Patrick

Patrick,

Thank you for your response. The brushed motors I am using are 3volt and powered by lispo Batteries.

My goal is to have one motor powered at a time. One motor will pull the film across a goggle lens then stop, the opposing motor with then activate and pull the film back. This process will then keep repeating. I am looking to have all this controlled with the activism of one button.

My question is can an ESC and or a control bard accomplish this goal?

Thank,

Cheyenne

You cannot do that with any of our brushed DC motor drivers or controllers by themselves; you will probably need some microcontroller running a program to do that (in addition to your driver or controller). Since it looks like you have a tight space constraint, you might consider our A-Star 32U4 Micro for that:

- Patrick

Patrick,

Thank you for your response. The microcontroller sounds like the route to pursue.Does the microcontroller you have recommend come with instructions for programming and connecting? I have absolutely no experience with these electrical devices, so forgive my excessive questions. Also, specifically what are the items termed driver/ controller?

We do not have a programming guide that specifically walks through how to do what you want. However, we do have many resources for our A-Stars available on the product page under the “Resources” tab. The best place to start is the user’s guide.

The easiest way for you to get started with programming an A-Star will probably be to use the Arduino IDE, for which there are a ton of programming guides and resources online.

You can learn more about what our drivers and controllers are from the links in my first post. The top of this page does a good job describing the difference between our “motor drivers” and “motor controllers”.

- Patrick

Patrick,
Once again, thank you for the information!!! I will do my research.
Respectfully,
Cheyenne

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Hello Patrick,
I have placed the A-star 32U4 micro in my cart. Can you please suggest the best controller That to purchase along with the A-Star.
Thank you,
Cheyenne

Ultimately, I cannot decide for you what the best motor driver or controller is for your project, especially since I do not know how much current your motors will draw (both stall current and continuous current are relevant). However, if your battery voltage is going to be similar to your motors’ rated voltage, i.e. about 3V, I can help you narrow things down a little. These are our four brushed DC motor drivers that can operate with 3V:

- Patrick

Patrick,
Thank you for your insight. I have orderEd these products. Again, I appreciate your assistance. I can’t wait to take the next step on my project!!!
Cheyenne

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Hello Patrick,
I have a couple questions Regarding the A-Star 32u4 mini Microprocessor and the motor driver that I purchased.
1.Will I need a breadboard? 2. What type of wires are required to connect the two Devices?
3. Can you recommend an on-off switch.
Respectfully,
Cheyenne Houser

Hello, Cheyenne.

Here are answers for your questions:

  1. Since I suspect your motors will not draw much current, using a breadboard would probably be okay, but there are other ways you could make your connections, like using jumper wires.
  1. The wire type and gauge you need for each connection depends on specific aspects of your application, such as the environment and how much heat and voltage drop you can tolerate. Keep in mind there is not a single well-defined rating for how much current wires can handle, but for some guidance you could look at this website which includes a table that lists ratings for different wire sizes. (The “Maximum amps for chassis wiring” might be the most useful rating for you to look at.)
  1. You might consider using one of our Pololu Power Switches for your project.

- Patrick

Patrick,
Once again, thank you for providing me with insight and guidance. Very appreciated.
Have a great day,
-Cheyenne

Hello Patrick,

In regards to the A-Star 32u4 Micro and DRV8833 duel motor driver carrier, How can I power the two devices? What are the options to provide power?

Cheyenne

Hello.

As described on the product pages, the A-Star 32U4 Micro can be powered from either USB or an external 5.5V to 15V source, and the DRV8833 can be powered from a 2.7V to 10.8V source. Beyond that, we do not have any specific recommendations for how you should power your project.

- Patrick