I'm in the middle of designing and building a prototype of a beetleweight (3lb) robot. I'm working on the drive system right now, it will be tank style steering with 2 powered wheels and 1 pivot wheel. I've got two Titan 550 12T motors hooked up to an L298N motor controller. It's powered by a 7.4V lipo pack. It'll work for a second (as in I can get a wheel to spin) but the L298N overheats almost immediately. I think the motors are pulling too much current for the lil thing to handle - the L298N is rated for 2A (I think) and these motors pull around 3 each at 7V (I think). I've been scouring the internet for a suitable motor controller, but am kind of new at this so I'm reaching out for advice. I'm looking for suggestions for motor controllers, and how to find an appropriate one for the job in general. Or maybe I'm totally wrong and the L298N should be just fine?
7.4V + and -, to the 12V and gnd pins respectively, motor+ and motor- to Out1 and Out2 respectively, BOTH Ena pins (there are 2 and maybe this is where I'm messing up) to digital 5 on an UNO, and IN1 to digital 3. Then I'm just writing to these pins both HIGH.
The L298N gets really hot. Am I doing something wrong or do I need a different motor controller?
Those motors can easily draw up to 30A (yes thirty) EACH depending on load.
If you want to move something weighing 3lb around at any speed you need a much more serious motor driver and your battery will want to be a good big one as well.
If I was going to do something like that I'd probably use the RC car/truck ESCs that are designed to work with those motors.
blh64:
From what I've seen, they recommend only 1 Titan motor per battery. You are running two. The L298N is also rated at 2A peak, not sustained.
If you want a much beefier motor driver (e.g. higher current capacity) shop around over at https://www.pololu.com/
I'm assuming they recommend one motor per battery just because of how much current the motors draw...? With one battery do I risk just short drive time because it will die fast, or can the battery, uh, catch on fire if I pull too much current too fast?
Thank you for the link! That table is exactly what I was looking for I've never needed beefy motor controllers before, so I'm not too familiar with their specs, but this one seems to be about what I'm looking for: Pololu - RoboClaw 2x30A Motor Controller (V5E)
I've never needed beefy motor controllers before, so I'm not too familiar with their specs, but this one seems to be about what I'm looking for: