Does anyone know if the Canakit Motor Driver 2A Dual L298 H-Bridge is able to control the speed of the motors as well as the direction? Sorry for asking a stupid question.
The one that Google tells me is dual bidirectional motor driver?
The L298 will control both direction and speed. There are less expensive boards available, though. Try this:http://arduino-direct.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=127
For this one:http://arduino-direct.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=127
Does it also have the option of being powered (both the +5V and normal motor power) from the motor power source? that was really the only reason I liked the canakit one...
The specs state that the motor power supply, "Vs", can be +5 to +35V.
If the motor supply were 5V then you could use that for the board's logic supply, too, but I would tend toward a separate source anyway.
The specs of the arduino-direct board state that it has an onboard regulator for logic supply which is usable with voltages >7V.