DC Motor not working with MotorShield v2.3

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davemr
 
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Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:57 am

DC Motor not working with MotorShield v2.3

Post by davemr »

I'm using the MotorShield v2.3, and I want to control some small DC motors that want 3-5v, ideally all from Vin.

I've connected the Arduino (Nano IoT 33) using SDA/SCL, and the 5v power (VUSB). I have version 1.1.1 of the library, installed via platformio. I've disconnected the 5v logic pad, and connected the 3.3v logic pad with a solder bridge.

Everything looks right, but the motor does not turn with the example sketch (MotorParty).

Debugging:
- The green 'Power' light is strongly lit
- The Arduino is communicating - if I change the I2C address, or remove the SDA/SCL wires, it complains.
- If I connect the motor to the Power socket on the MotorShield, it runs fine
- I've tried an external 5V power supply on the power port as well (after removing the VIN jumper).
- I've tried all physical motor ports, and I've tried various speeds with setSpeed() and also fullOn().
- If I set all motors to fullOn(), a voltmeter on any motor port reads pretty much nothing (millivolts). It reads 4.98v on the Power port.

Anything else to try?

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: DC Motor not working with MotorShield v2.3

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Please post some photos showing all your soldering and connections.

A link to the electrical specs for your motor would be helpful too.

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davemr
 
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Re: DC Motor not working with MotorShield v2.3

Post by davemr »

On further exploration, it seems that we were missing the 3v3 supply.

So the minimal set of connections from the Arduino is:
SDA, SCL, GND, Vusb->VIN, 3v3 -> 3V

Now it works great!

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: DC Motor not working with MotorShield v2.3

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Good to hear. Thanks for the follow-up.

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