Pololu High-Power Motor Driver 36v20 CS in Parallel to double the current?

Hello,

I’m wondering if this driver “Pololu High-Power Motor Driver 36v20 CS” could be connected in parallel to support up to 40 amps of continuous current, and how would be the properly connections.

https://www.pololu.com/product/1457

Hi.

Our High-Power Motor Driver 36v20 CS does not seem appropriate for either your current or voltage requirements.

We have not tried using two High-Power Motor Driver 36v20 CS boards in parallel and do not recommend trying to use them that way. The only boards we carry that can handle a 40A continuous motor current are the RoboClaw motor controllers, which have a different, higher-level interface.

In your post in another thread, you also asked about using the drivers with an 11 cell LiPo battery with a voltage of 46V. A battery voltage that high gives very little room for any voltage spikes that could damage the driver.

-Claire

Hi Claire, thanks for your answer, lets say that i would use 10 cell Lipo battery for a Maximum of 42V, and the maximum continuous current of the motors would be around 35 Amps, do you think it would work if i connect two High-Power Motor Driver 36v20 CS in parallel ? i´m asking this because i met somebody who already did it and his robot seems to work ok, but i´m not sure how would be the best way to connect this driver in parallel even if it is not the most suitable option.

The risk when operating two H-bridge drivers like this in parallel is that if the timing of turning off and on the various MOSFETs in the bridge is not well matched between the two drivers, there might be times when a high and a low MOSFET from one side of a bridge are on at the same time and creating a short. Since the timing characteristics vary from unit to unit, it is possible for one person to get two drivers that match well and have no issues (or just not notice them), but that does not mean that would be the case for every pair of drivers you might get.

-Claire