I am very new to robotics. However, I managed to get a 4WD platform working with the help of Arduino Uno Rev3 and Arduino Motor shield kit. Can someone please answer couple of basic questions for me?
- I read that digital pin 4, 7, 8 and 12 in Arduino Uno Rev 3 are used to drive the DC/Stepper motors via the latch. What is a latch?
- I believe that currently my motor shield uses pins 3, 5, 6, and 11 to control the (4) DC motors. What are the rest of the digital pins typically used for?
- Which are the pins that can be used by the rotary encoders?
Thanks in advance.