Motor Shields
Improve your motor control by adding one of these shields to your robotics project.

Overview

• What it is: Motor shields help you drive motors directly from your Arduino without any added interface. They're great for robotics projects by freeing up space and lowering weight.
• What it does: While servo motors can run directly from the Arduino already, DC motors need a transistor and a diode to function. These shields can also change the output current so it fits the motor specifications without damaging the Arduino.
• How to use it: These shields come without motors attached, so you'll have to add your own. After that, you can program them the same way you'd program a normal motor - by outputting analogWrite commands to the corresponding pin.

Meccano Motorcycle by Gaius Cornelius (CC-BY-SA)

Types of Motor Shields

Image by Sparkfun (CC-BY-NC-SA)

Ardumoto Shield:

This motor driver shield allows you to control two DC motors. It can drive up to two amps per channel, which should allow for standard motor sizes. This is Sparkfun's main motor shield. They've also created a larger version, the MonsterMoto Shield, if you need to drive higher-current motors. Arduino sells a similar motor shield here.

Image by Sparkfun (CC-BY-NC-SA

Modkit MotoProto Shield:

Like the ArduMoto shield, this shield can also drive two DC motors, but it adds on the capability to connect to four sensors. Modkit has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop programmable interface to help you hook up sensors as easily as possible.

Power Driver Shield:

Some motors need more power than the Arduino can output on its own. This shield solves that problem by allowing your Arduino to control a larger current supply than normal. You can also use the 4x4 Driver Shield to create a similar effect Check your motor datasheets to see if you need this shield before you start using it - high current can be dangerous!

Image by Sparkfun (CC-BY-NC-SA

Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield:

This Adafruit shield basically combines everything you'd ever need to run any type of motor into one shield. It connects to up to 2 servos, 2 stepper motors, or 4 DC motors, or you can mix-and-match however you'd like. The shield itself doesn't come with motors, but Adafruit also sells a motor party pack that comes with the shield and motors included.

Image by Adafruit

Khepera Mobile Robot by Stéphane Magnenat (CC-BY-SA)

Project Ideas

• Light-sensing Robot: Build a robot that moves in the direction of light using photoresistors. This can be done with DC motors or continuous rotation servos.
• Moving timer: Use a servo or DC motor to move a lever that will countdown at specific intervals.
• Motor playground: Use the Adafruit shield to experiment with different types of motors. Which type works best for different applications? Can you combine two at once?
• High-powered motor: Find a motor that requires a high current source and try using it with the power driver shield. How different is it from a normal DC motor?

Good luck, and have fun!