How do I properly power my Adafruit Motorshield V2 attached to a Arduino Uno?

Using Arduino Motors, Mechanics, Power and CNC
1

Hello,

I'm planning to use the Adafruit Motorshield for a project, intending to power four DC motors and two servos. However, I'm uncertain about how to properly provide power to the entire system during testing. I've encountered conflicting information about whether it's acceptable to connect external power through the DC jack on the Arduino board while also having a laptop connected to the Arduino via USB

So, I'm wondering if it's acceptable to have both my laptop connected via USB and external power from a power bank through the DC jack when uploading new code.

2

if you are using a real UNO then you can have both USB and power through the JACK. if the Jack power is > ~7V then the board will get its power from there.

the Adafruit Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield if that's the one can power up to 4 DC motors or 2 stepper motors but not 4 + 2

are you planing to use 2 stacked shields?

Motors are using lots of current, you actually should power the shield via the DC motor power terminal port on the shield (I think to remember there was a jumper to remove too)

3

Thank you for the fast response.

I am planing to use 4 DC motors, no steppers so one shield should be fine.

The project is for school, and I received the Motor Shield already attached to the Arduino. For the project I'm working on space is limited so I'm planning on powering the whole system with just one power source if that is possible.

The powerbank I'm using has an output of 5v=3A;9V=3A; 12V=2.5A and 15V=2A, I asume that it will thus draw >7V when the shield is attached?

4

is there a switch where you select the voltage ?

if you plan to have the UNO connected to a PC, then the UNO will get USB power. So you could connect the 12V power supply directly to the shield without having to think of a second power supply. Just make sure you read the doc and remove the jumper on that shield

read the documentation. pay attention to Powering Motors

here is a picture where they used the Vin of the shield

1227×1008 153 KB

5

No

Only when I uppload code is my pc connected, but the motors start instantly. I don't want to risk breaking anything when I only have the USB connected for power while uploading code before switching to the other power source and disconnecting the USB.

If having the USB and DC jack connected at the same time doesn't work while uploading code, I will try powering the shield directly as you mentioned, thanks.

6

then I think you won't get 12V out of this power bank

if you have an USB-C output, it can supply power at various voltage and current combinations depending on the target device.

if you have standard (the large flat rectangle) USB ports then they might be labeled for certain fast charging technologies like SCP (SuperCharge Protocol) and VOOC. These are used to charge specific compatible devices at their optimal charging rates.

and if there is no label, then the bank is likely using a a feature known as "Voltage Negotiation." This is typically implemented using USB Power Delivery (USB PD) protocol, a universal standard for fast charging over USB connections.

For that to work, you need to have a USB port on the other side supporting this Voltage Negotiation.

In your case, if you just plug in a USB cable with a jack on the other side, the Arduino won't negotiate anything and you'll get only 5V out of your power bank.

7

Ok I will keep that in mind.
Thanks for all the help.

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