The TB6612FNG is much more efficient than the L298, so 4x or 6x AA will work for those motors.
Motor lifetime is increased by using low PWM values and low speeds.
False. 18650/21700 lithium-polymer fires start primarily due to human decisions made in manufacturing, then storage of the cell. The remaining fires start when the cell is not connected and (likely, but I have not seen numbers) while charged to capacity. This boogie-man myth needs to die.
Two 18650s and the TB6612FNG work very nicely together. On this page, you can see how to test each motor movement, for a "robot car" build...
So you will only ever be out of the house for 30 mins, but during that 30 mins you want to watch your dog using this robot? How long will it take to guide the robot around the house to find the dog? Will you have time to do anything else during your 30 mins way from home?
I think that you need to think about his project more carefully.
weird problem, bad wiring?
have you tried measuring the motor voltage both at the motors and at the l298 board?
have you tried measuring the voltage at the IN pins?
have you verified the voltage on the EN pins?
the motors are wired in parrallel, have you tried just driving on motor on each side?
try to isolate where the problem is.
You have motor + and - connected to the same, random, terminal for all your motors. The motors that "work" are because the insulation got in the way of the screw terminal. Motor + and - should be on separate terminals.
DISREGARD... I now see front and rear wheels are connected so they drive in opposite directions.
@jremington : If I use 6 AA batteries, will I need to add anything to prevent the 3-6V motors from burning out? To buy everything i might need.
@xfpd ,thanks for the link! With the 2x 18650 batteries I have now, is that enough, or is there a more reliable brand youād recommend? These ones seem to be quite generic/fake.
@PaulRB , because of all the complications Iāve been having, Iāve changed my requirements. At this point, all I want is for the project to work for a short period, haha. For example, if Iām out of the house for 8 hours, Iād only use the car for a few minutes to watch the dog, and then Iād stop using it. My apartment is small, so I can find him in about a minute, haha. After that, it wouldnāt be used, so I assume the power consumption when idle should be minimal and the battery should last. Since I havenāt been able to find the recommended batteries, Iām considering using 4, 6, or 8 AA batteries, or 2 higher-quality 18650s. Obviously, Iām a bit paranoid about explosions after everything Iāve read, haha. At this point, itās more of a learning project because Iāve always used Arduino for hobby projects and simple stuff (like LEDs, matrices, etc.). This is the first time Iām trying to make something āuseful,ā so my expectations arenāt too high, haha.
@gcjr , I donāt think itās a wiring issue because Iāve tested each motor individually and they work fine one at a time, even with two motors running. The problem starts when I try to run three. The direction of the wheels doesnāt really matter right now because I just wanted to see if theyād spin, and I planned to fix the direction later. I havenāt measured the voltages yet, but I will.
Thanks!
No, that is why I stated "Motor lifetime is increased by using low PWM values and low speeds."
Maybe keep PWM value at 80% of maximum or less. Motor voltage ratings are only rough guides, and those very cheap brushed DC motors will eventually burn out, no matter what.
but that's the point, you've had to rewire them when all 4 motors are connected
there is no doubt that controlling multiple motors using an L298 and arduino works ... when wired properly (no loose connections)
The L298 overheats and shuts down when too much current is drawn.
I find two 18650 work for me, but I do not have the motors running constantly. I experiment for an hour or two with intermittent running, turning and re-programming. I recharge my batteries at the end of every session. (I have two sets of 18650s - one active, one charging)
but isn't that l298 driver board with a heat sink commonly used with those 4wd platforms? why would the OP just have a problem?
The OP forgot to state how the three motors were wired. If all are in parallel and connected to a single channel, then the L298 is certainly overloaded.
The typical "yellow motor" start/stall current is 1.5 Amperes at 6V. The L298 maximum peak current is 2 A, steady state 1 A per channel.
doesn't the photo suggest otherwise?
To you, perhaps. I don't know how it was wired in the latest attempt.
It would be helpful if the OP were to post an updated wiring diagram representing each failed attempt.
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