replace a N20 with each DC Motor - is this possible

Projects General Guidance
1

hello dear Arduino-eperts

good day dear all -

well lemme start so: i am pretty new to Arduino, but I have to figure this out.

Well - that being said, I have a problem, and I'm not sure if I can even solve it with the components I have. Basically I need to use some sort of an Arduino to power a DC motor, and that needs to be controlled via the program. I'm using an Arduino Nano, a breadboard, a motor controller (L298N), a DC motor, and a battery. I have all the necessary cables and wires.

But i must say. i really love the L298 - it is great!

Basically I need to use some sort of an Arduino to power a DC motor, and that needs to be controlled via the program. I'm using an Arduino Nano, a breadboard, a motor controller (L298N), a DC motor, and a battery. I have all the necessary cables and wires.

BTW can i use a ordinary motor and replace a N20 with each DC Motor - what are the advantages of the N20?

i found a great tutorial for the L298 - this one

https://tronixlabs.com.au/news/tutorial-l298n-dual-motor-controller-module-2a-and-arduino/

In this tutorial we'll explain how to use our L298N H-bridge Dual Motor Controller Module 2A with Arduino. This allows you to control the speed and direction of two DC motors, or control one bipolar stepper motor with ease. The L298N H-bridge module can be used with motors that have a voltage of between 5 and 35V DC.
There is also an onboard 5V regulator, so if your supply voltage is up to 12V you can also source 5V from the board.
These L298 H-bridge dual motor controller modules are inexpensive and available from the Tronixlabs Australia store. Furthermore if you're completely new to the world of Arduino we highly recommend you review a copy of "Arduino Workshop".
So let's get started!

love to hear from you

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Image from Original Post so we don't have to download it. See this Simple Image Guide

n20_motor.png
n20_motor.png1266×490 319 KB

...R

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But i must say. i really love the L298 - it is great!

I, respectfully, disagree. The L298 is ancient and very inefficient technology. The bipolar output transistors drop 2 to 4 volts so the motors see that much less voltage, There are much better MOSFET output drivers available. Pololu offers a range of modern (and inexpensive) DC motor drivers.

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apollodriver:
replace a N20 with each DC Motor

An N20 is a DC motor - I have several of them.

The thing in your right-hand picture seems to be a servo.

Why do you think that replacing the N20 would be a good idea? What exactly do you want to do?

I need to use some sort of an Arduino to power a DC motor

You can use an Arduino to control a motor but you should NOT use an Arduino to power a motor. An Arduino cannot provide enough current for a motor and motors can generate high-voltage spikes that can damage an Arduino if the motor is directly connected to the Arduino.

...R

5

hello dear Robin2 hello dear groundFungus,

many many thanks for the quick reply.

right said the motor is an dc motor.: The goal is - Arduino-izing-Lego-Technic-Go-Kart - a cheap model that can be used for courses in school as well...

reagading the hardware:

I, respectfully, disagree. The L298 is ancient and very inefficient technology. The bipolar output transistors drop 2 to 4 volts so the motors see that much less voltage, There are much better MOSFET output drivers available. Pololu offers a range of modern (and inexpensive) DC motor drivers.

Why do you think that replacing the N20 would be a good idea? What exactly do you want to do?

well the motor is pretty expensive here in the local shop. There are plenty of motors out there which are much cheaper.

You can use an Arduino to control a motor but you should NOT use an Arduino to power a motor. An Arduino cannot provide enough current for a motor and motors can generate high-voltage spikes that can damage an Arduino if the motor is directly connected to the Arduino.

what i have in mind to do something similar like botdemy - see https://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-izing-Lego-Technic-Go-Kart/

This project started out as a quest to find a way to combine ease of Lego Technic chassis building with cheap commodity electronics to motorize and remote control it. I teach robotics workshop and I needed a Lego-based platform for younger kids who grew up with Lego but cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars to buy power functions, Lego motors, IR remote, and EV3. Thanks to numerous Instructables and Youtube tutorials on integrating Arduino with Lego, I was able to complete this project with a small budget and I hope to incorporate this into my robotics workshop in the future.

and besides that

The rear axle is attached to a single N20 motor to move the kart forward and reverse via a TB6612FNG motor driver. Front steering is controlled by an SG90 servo motor. Remote control is accomplished by a cheap IR remote/receiver combo. I understand that IR remote is not the best way to control a car but it is the least expensive method to implement and learn about a remote control system so it was a perfect option for this car.

so the question is - can i go and built something liek botdemy - with exactly the same motor or am i able to choose some other motors - and then using the good tutorial for the L298 - that i have found

  • and yes agreed - i also have heard that the L298 is somewhat outdated....

https://tronixlabs.com.au/news/tutorial-l298n-dual-motor-controller-module-2a-and-arduino/

In this tutorial we'll explain how to use our L298N H-bridge Dual Motor Controller Module 2A with Arduino. This allows you to control the speed and direction of two DC motors, or control one bipolar stepper motor with ease. The L298N H-bridge module can be used with motors that have a voltage of between 5 and 35V DC. There is also an onboard 5V regulator, so if your supply voltage is up to 12V you can also source 5V from the board. These L298 H-bridge dual motor controller modules are inexpensive and available from the Tronixlabs Australia store. Furthermore if you're completely new to the world of Arduino we highly recommend you review a copy of "Arduino Workshop". So let's get started!

love to hear from you greetings

6

You seem to have an N20 motor with a gearbox. They can be bought on Ebay for £3 or £4 and their gearbox is really high quality - almost silent.

You can buy many cheap motors without gearboxes but they probably won't have enough torque for your project.

Another option might be this type of cheap motor and gearbox. Ebay link. They are used in many of the Arduino robot kits.

...R

7

Another option is to take the electronics out of a servo and hook directly to the DC motor inside. That will provide the DC motor and gearbox.

Another option is to disable the feedback pot of a servo. The result is called a "Continuous Rotation Servo" (although it is no longer a 'servo') and you can buy them already disabled. This give you the DC motor, gearbox, and motor controller all in one package. An Arduino controls them with one pin, just like a servo.

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hello dear Robin hello dear John,

many thanks for all your hints and for sharing the ideas. This is just great! i am very very glad to be here in this great place!

By the way: regarding the idea of using ESP8266 and L 293. Sure thing - there are plenty drivers out there which are better, more appropiate and much more powerful.

i also can use a ESP-12E Motor Shield:

the ESP-12E Motor Shield is designed and developed by Shenzhen Doctors of Intelligence & Technology (SZDOIT). This large current motor driven module can compatible with ESP12E Dev Kit and NodeMCU.By using the overlap-plug design, the motor shield can be directly plugged by ESP-12E Dev Kit and NodeMCU Lua module.

This shield board is driven by the special excent large power full-bridge chip L293DD, which can directly drive 2-channels DC motors or one-channel stepper motor. The driven current can be arrived allmost the level of 1.2A. In this motor shield board, the IO port of ESP-12E Dev Kit is used as the control port. The logic chip configured inside can finish IC driven. Thus, the shield board has four ports: D1, D2, D3, and D3, which are used as PWMA(motor A), PWMB (motor B), DA (direction of motor A), and DB (direction of motor B), respectively.

besides this musings - you see that i am a novice in the field of using

Arduino
NodeMCU
WEMOS
ESP8266

You can consider this a headstart - so do not bear with me for sometimes the beginner-questions...

Have a great day
greetings

9

apollodriver:
L 293. Sure thing - there are plenty drivers out there which are better, more appropiate and much more powerful.

Happy you realise this, but you go on to consider yet another L293 based board... The only reason the L293 and relatives are still used is because they're even cheaper than the TB6612FNG, especially of you really cheap out and leave out the big heatsink (the TB6612FNG doesn't need one). With appropriate heat sink there is barely any price difference, just efficiency difference (less battery needed, smaller design, you not having to worry about what to do with all that heat when building the project).

Really, leave that dinosaur behind, it should be considered "not for new designs", it's almost "obsolete" (it's really just the very low price that keeps it alive). With a MOSFET based driver you can remove an AA battery from your battery pack and still have more power for the motors. That's how lossy they are!