(Solved)Arduino Uno only 1.5 volts from digital outputs instead of 5 volts

We are told there is a motor shield, the output pins are driving that.

We are also told the motor demo works.

My suspicion is something to do with the supply voltage or common grounding is awry - a schematic of the wiring might be useful, but I'd suggest checking that all the supply voltages are correct during operation and all grounds are common.