Dagu 4-channel motor controller issues
Dagu 4-channel motor controller issues
by KirkHamster
Thu Jan 03, 2013 10:59 pm
I got the Dagu 4-motor controller board a month ago, to run a Rover 5 and although it is working; i noticed that all the red and black motor output 2-pin connector from the Rover had opposite wiring from the controller (red wires only fit on GND and black wires only fit on 5v. )
Quite inexperienced with the electronics part of Arduino tinkering, I supposed that since it's all opposite all around the 4 connectors, it should work, and it did, but when i write a motor direction to the controller to say, move the left wheels, i get the opposite reaction on each wheel on that side.
so when telling channel 1 and 3 that i want forward movement, it stalled. same with channel 2 and 4 (right wheels). i had to write some code to invert the movement on channel 3 and 4 to have it work as expected. (so i could just make a 'move(forward,forward,speed)' function and pass that directly to the controller).
luckily i was prepared and was able to cut the engine power right away. no smoke or fried chips. (and i am running on the supplied 6XAA,but this controller is rated for at least 12; maybe even 14 or 16)
speed works the same on all 4 channels, so i must have wired everything correctly. i've checked and double checked the wiring.
although there seems to be no problems after writing some creative code, i am wondering if anyone else has had this problem with the board (this is probably a newer revision than the docs are for, namely the one with the blue PCB . the one they ship now, and that i have, is the red PCB.).
most importantly, am i damaging any circuitry by continuing to do this; even if it seems to work ?
note that it is not stalling anymore but i was wondering if this issue is rooted in the opposite red/black wires from the motors or if the things are labelled wrong on the Dagu board or if it really IS my wiring!
Quite inexperienced with the electronics part of Arduino tinkering, I supposed that since it's all opposite all around the 4 connectors, it should work, and it did, but when i write a motor direction to the controller to say, move the left wheels, i get the opposite reaction on each wheel on that side.
so when telling channel 1 and 3 that i want forward movement, it stalled. same with channel 2 and 4 (right wheels). i had to write some code to invert the movement on channel 3 and 4 to have it work as expected. (so i could just make a 'move(forward,forward,speed)' function and pass that directly to the controller).
luckily i was prepared and was able to cut the engine power right away. no smoke or fried chips. (and i am running on the supplied 6XAA,but this controller is rated for at least 12; maybe even 14 or 16)
speed works the same on all 4 channels, so i must have wired everything correctly. i've checked and double checked the wiring.
although there seems to be no problems after writing some creative code, i am wondering if anyone else has had this problem with the board (this is probably a newer revision than the docs are for, namely the one with the blue PCB . the one they ship now, and that i have, is the red PCB.).
most importantly, am i damaging any circuitry by continuing to do this; even if it seems to work ?
note that it is not stalling anymore but i was wondering if this issue is rooted in the opposite red/black wires from the motors or if the things are labelled wrong on the Dagu board or if it really IS my wiring!
