This week in lab, we covered different methods of motor control. First, we experimented with using a transistor for motor control, and then we tried using an H-Bridge. Both of these methods seemed to work fairly well and we completed the lab without many difficulties.
Procedure:
To control the motor via transistor, we set up a basic circuit that contained a potentiometer, a diode, a small motor, and a transistor. The idea was to use a transistor to control the amount of voltage going to the motor via the potentiometer. Here's a video of our results:
Next was using the H-bridge for motor control. This circuit required using a larger power supply than our Arduino since we needed more than 5 volts, so we used a desktop DC power supply. For this portion, we set up a circuit following the diagrams provided in the lab. They required using a complicated setup with several resistors and a diode. However, this circuit did not work. Here's an image of that circuit:
We were instructed to rebuild the circuit more simply, plugging the motor directly into the rows of the h-bridge and to remove the diode. After doing that, everything worked successfully. You could hear the h-bridge ticking on and off and you could watch the motor turn on and off with it. We went ahead and made some modifications, first adding an LED. We decided to go with the LEDs that do not require a resistor just to simplify the look of the circuit and keep everything orderly. This circuit arrangment allowed the motor to turn on while the LED was off, and then switch to have the motor off and the LED on.
And then we removed the motor completely and just used two LEDs.
Conclusion:
While short and simply, this lab provided good practical knowledge for learning how to use a power source that provides more voltage than our Arduino and really helped cement our understanding of how to use motors.
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