How to control the time that the motor runs

Using Arduino Programming Questions
#1

Hello, i have a itead l298 dual h-bridge motor driver
http://www.ptrobotics.com/2341-itead-l298-dual-h-bridge-motor-driver.html

and i need to control the motor that is inside of this linear actuator
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6076827430.html

Here is is the part of the code i am using to test the actuator .

//enabling motor A
 Serial.println ("Enabling Motor A");
 digitalWrite (enableA, HIGH);
//do something
 //forward
 Serial.println ("Forward");
 digitalWrite (pinA1, HIGH);
 digitalWrite (pinA2, LOW);
//5s forward
 delay (5000);
//reverse
 digitalWrite (pinA1,LOW);
 digitalWrite (pinA2,HIGH);
//5s backwards
 delay (5000);
//stop
 digitalWrite (enableA, LOW);
 delay (2000);

My problem is to control the time that the motor goes forward and backwards.
I also want to control the velocity but is not so important at this time.

Thank you

#2

Andreee99:
My problem is to control the time that the motor goes forward and backwards.

That is what the delay() calls are doing. You can change the delays to a different constant or change them to variables that you calculate in your sketch.

#3

Yes, but i cant change the time, i try to put 10.000 instead of 5000 and it goes forward and backwards the same time as erlier.

It sims that the arduino reads the same time allways.

#4

Hi Andre

Can you please post your complete code?

And have you tried adding more debug println statements, to see if / when the program gets to the reverse and stop sections?

All the best

Ray

#5

Andreee99:
Yes, but i cant change the time, i try to put 10.000 instead of 5000 and it goes forward and backwards the same time as erlier.

After you change the sketch does it compile and upload without error?

#6

Yes it runs and upload without errors , so i am thinking that the motor is damage or not working ok, because the problem is not the code.

//Testing the DC Motors
//Define Pins
 //Motor A
 int enableA = 10;
 int pinA1 = 2;
 int pinA2 = 3;
//Motor B
 int enableB = 8;
 int pinB1 = 4;
 int pinB2 = 5;
/*-----( Import needed libraries )-----*/
/*-----( Declare Constants )-----*/
#define RELAY_ON 1
#define RELAY_OFF 0
/*-----( Declare objects )-----*/
/*-----( Declare Variables )-----*/
#define Relay_1  7  // Arduino Digital I/O pin number

void setup()   /****** SETUP: RUNS ONCE ******/
{
// Atuadores
  Serial.begin (9600);
 //configure pin modes
 pinMode (enableA, OUTPUT);
 pinMode (pinA1, OUTPUT);
 pinMode (pinA2, OUTPUT);
pinMode (enableB, OUTPUT);
 pinMode (pinB1, OUTPUT);
 pinMode (pinB2, OUTPUT);
  //-------( Initialize Pins so relays are inactive at reset)----
  digitalWrite(Relay_1, RELAY_OFF);
  
//---( THEN set pins as outputs )----  
  pinMode(Relay_1, OUTPUT);   
  delay(1000); //Check that all relays are inactive at Reset
  // Buzer
 
  pinMode(9, OUTPUT);   // sets the pin as output


}//--(end setup )---


void loop()   /****** LOOP: RUNS CONSTANTLY ******/
{
  // Teste atuadores
 //enabling motor A
 Serial.println ("Enabling Motor A");
 digitalWrite (enableA, HIGH);
//do something
 //forward
 Serial.println ("Forward");
 digitalWrite (pinA1, HIGH);
 digitalWrite (pinA2, LOW);
//5s forward
 delay (5000);
//reverse
 digitalWrite (pinA1,LOW);
 digitalWrite (pinA2,HIGH);
//5s backwards
 delay (5000);
//stop
 digitalWrite (enableA, LOW);
 delay (2000);
//enabling motor B
 //Since motor B is mounted reversed, PINs must be exchanged
 Serial.println ("Enabling Motor B");
 digitalWrite (enableB, HIGH);
//do something
 //forward
 Serial.println ("Forward");
 digitalWrite (pinB1, LOW);
 digitalWrite (pinB2, HIGH);
//5s forward
 delay (1000);
//reverse
 digitalWrite (pinB1,HIGH);
 digitalWrite (pinB2,LOW);
//5s backwards
 delay (1000);
//stop
 digitalWrite (enableB, LOW);
 delay (500); 
//---( Turn all 4 relays OFF in sequence)---  
  
  
  
   analogWrite(9,128);
     delay(500);
     digitalWrite(9, HIGH);
     delay(100);
     
     
     digitalWrite(Relay_1, RELAY_ON);// set the Relay ON
  delay(400);              // wait for a second
  digitalWrite(Relay_1, RELAY_OFF);// set the Relay OFF
  delay(900);              // wait for a second    
        
}//--(end main loop )---

No ,i have not try and sory i dont know what is that, I am not realy using the "println" for nothing , but i dont know if i can delete it .

thank you , sory the bad english

#7

can you make a simple schematic ?

for testing, you can comment out the print statements. they are there to send text to your screen to tell you what mode you are in.

Serial.println (“Forward”); // this is just to send out text to tell you the state the program is in.
digitalWrite (pinA1, HIGH);
digitalWrite (pinA2, LOW);
//5s backwards
delay (5000); // think this is being used to run the motor ?

digitalWrite(Relay_1, RELAY_ON);// set the Relay ON
delay(400); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(Relay_1, RELAY_OFF);// set the Relay OFF
delay(900); // wait for a second

try changing the delay values for the relays. if they are the devices in control then these would change the time.
without a schematic, it is only guessing, but you said changing the delay in PinA1 had no effect, look here maybe ??

#8

Hello , and thanks for your help.

Yes i know that the prints is to write the state on a screen orsomething like that but in thois case in not using any screen so i dont use the prints for nothing.

Ok, in the relays i can control the delay perfectly , i change the time and it works fine.

but in the other case( to control the linear actuator) i cant control the time so i think that the motor is damage .

Other thing i want to do is to make my code run only 3 times? can i do a counter of cycles in the program?

Thank you

#9

Thank you very much, thank´s to you i discover that the engine has a problem and not the program.

Good Projects :smiley:

#10