The L298N Dual H-Bridge Motor Controller is an inexpensive device which allows you to control two independent DC motors using 5 volt digital logic signals, such as the digital output pins of an Arduino. The L298N can also be used to control a single stepper motor or two sets of LED lighting strips.
In this tutorial we’ll learn how to control two 6-volt DC motors with the L298N.
First we will enlighten ourselves by learning a quick bit of the history of DC motors and discovering how they actually work. We will also learn what an “H-Bridge” is, how it works and how we can control the direction of rotation of a DC motor with it.
We will then quickly discuss the concept of Pulse Width Modulation, or PWM, as it is used to control the speed of DC motors. Don’t worry, it’s a lot easier than it sounds!
Then we will look at how the L288N H-Bridge module actually works, how to hook it up to a couple of motors and how to power it correctly.
Next we will connect the L298N Dual H-Bridge Motor Controller to an Arduino. Once that’s done we’ll run a motor demo sketch to put the device through its paces.
After the demo we will expand upon our sketch to allow a couple of potentiometers (connected to the Arduino’s analog inputs) to control the speed of each motor.
And now that we’ve become experts we will replace the potentiometers with a joystick and use it to control the motors. Just for fun we’ll use this setup to build an Arduino-driven car!
The L298N Dual H-Bridge Motor Controller is a very versatile device that is sure to find a lot of use in your robotics and IoT projects. Anywhere you want to make things move with an Arduino!