Summary of Pololu Motor Controller Testing and Troubleshooting
### Summary The author integrated a Dual VNH2SP30 Motor Driver with an Arduino Duemilanove and HG312 Geared Motors for a smart surface project. Despite following a community circuit diagram, they encountered three issues: the red status LED remained on instead of green, PWM signals failed to control motor speed, and uncertainty existed regarding the EN/DIAG and CS pin usage. One motor appeared functional while the other was likely damaged during shipping.
Parts used in the Smart Surface Project:
- Dual VNH2SP30 Motor Driver Carrier MD03A
- Arduino Duemilanove (ATMEGA328)
- HG312 Geared Motors
- Digital Single Output DC Power Supply 30V/1A
Finally, I finished reading the datasheet. It didn’t give much information about how to connect the motor controller to a micro-controller. I used the simple circuit I found from a post in Pololu’s forum: Using Dual VNH3SP30 Motor Driver with arduino @ http://forum.pololu.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1923.
- Dual VNH2SP30 Motor Driver Carrier MD03A to Arduino Circuit Diagram
I connected everything according to the diagram shown above: the board with a Digital Single Output DC Power Supply, 30V/1A available in DL1, a HG312 Geared Motors (http://www.robotmarketplace.com/products/0-HG312.html) that we are using on our smartsurface, and a Arduino Duemilanove with only 1INA, 1INB, 1PWM, +5V, GND connected to Arduino Duemilanove (ATMEGA328) (I didn’t use Arduino Mega because there is a chance for mishap so I just use a cheaper board for experiments). I tested only one motor at a time and it turned out one is working and another is probably damaged during the shipping. Here are some problems I found: (I also post it to Pololu Forum, hope some pros can help me)
1)Red Light vs. Green Light:
The motor is running fine and the processor is not over heated but the red LED on the board was on all the time and I’m not sure if it’s a good sign because I assume it is green light that is supposed to be on.
2)PWM doesn’t control the speed of the motor. Not sure if I need to change PWM pin frequency on the Arduino.
Here the testing code:
int InA1 = 7;
int InB1 = 8;
int PWM1 = 3; //PWM1 connects to pin 3
int PWM1_val = 127; //(25% = 64; 50% = 127; 75% = 191; 100% = 255)
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(InA1, OUTPUT);
pinMode(InB1, OUTPUT);
pinMode(PWM1, OUTPUT);
}void loop() {
digitalWrite(InA1, HIGH);
digitalWrite(InB1, LOW);
analogWrite(PWM1, PWM1_val);
}
3)Base on my circuit, how should I use EN/DIAG and CS pins and how should I program them?
For more detail: Pololu Motor Controller Testing and Troubleshooting
- Why is the red LED on instead of the green light?
The author notes the motor runs fine without overheating but observes the red LED stays on constantly, expressing uncertainty if this indicates a problem. - Why does PWM not control the motor speed?
The author suspects changing the PWM pin frequency on the Arduino might be necessary to resolve the speed control issue. - Which pins are connected to the Arduino Duemilanove?
The board connects 1INA, 1INB, 1PWM, +5V, and GND to the Arduino Duemilanove. - Can I use an Arduino Mega instead of the Duemilanove?
The author chose the cheaper Duemilanove over the Mega to avoid potential mishaps during experiments. - How should I program the EN, DIAG, and CS pins?
The author explicitly asks how to use and program these specific pins based on their current circuit setup. - What caused one of the motors to stop working?
The author believes the second motor was probably damaged during shipping since only one worked during testing. - Where did the author find the connection circuit diagram?
The author found the simple circuit diagram in a post on the Pololu forum.
