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SparkFun Qwiic Motor Driver
The SparkFun Qwiic Motor Driver takes all the great features of the Serial Controlled Motor Driver (SCMD) and miniaturizes them, adding Qwiic ports for plug and play functionality. Boasting the same 4245 PSOC and 2-channel motor ports as the SCMD, the SparkFun Qwiic Motor Driver is designed to communicate over I2C to make setting up your next robotic project as fast and easy as possible! Utilizing our handy Qwiic system and screw terminals for motor and power hook-up, no soldering is required to connect it to the rest of your system.
With 1.2A steady state drive per channel (1.5A peak) and 127 levels of DC drive strength, this little Qwiic board is perfect for your small DC motor driver needs. Since the Qwiic Motor Driver is a 3.3V logic device, you'll need to use a logic level converter to interface to 5V.
The I2C address of the Qwiic Motor Driver is 0x5D and is jumper selectable to 0x58, 0x59, 0x5A, 0x5B, ... 0x63.
The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I2C sensors, actuators, shields and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong.
- 1.5 A peak drive per channel, 1.2 A steady state
- Operates from 3 to 11 Volts with 12V absolute max
- 3.3V default VCC and logic
- 127 levels of DC drive strength.
- Controllable by I2C or TTL UART signals
- Direction inversion on a per motor basis
- Global Drive enable
- Exposed small heat sink shape
- Several I2C addresses, default UART bauds available
- Adjustable I2C Address: 0x5D Default
- 2x Qwiic Connectors
SparkFun Qwiic Motor Driver Product Help and Resources
Hookup Guide for the Qwiic Motor Driver
September 19, 2019
Drive things "qwiic"-ly with the SparkFun Qwiic Motor Driver!
Core Skill: Robotics
This skill concerns mechanical and robotics knowledge. You may need to know how mechanical parts interact, how motors work, or how to use motor drivers and controllers.
Skill Level: Rookie - You will be required to know some basics about motors, basic motor drivers and how simple robotic motion can be accomplished.
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Core Skill: DIY
Whether it's for assembling a kit, hacking an enclosure, or creating your own parts; the DIY skill is all about knowing how to use tools and the techniques associated with them.
Skill Level: Noob - Basic assembly is required. You may need to provide your own basic tools like a screwdriver, hammer or scissors. Power tools or custom parts are not required. Instructions will be included and easy to follow. Sewing may be required, but only with included patterns.
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Core Skill: Programming
If a board needs code or communicates somehow, you're going to need to know how to program or interface with it. The programming skill is all about communication and code.
Skill Level: Rookie - You will need a better fundamental understand of what code is, and how it works. You will be using beginner-level software and development tools like Arduino. You will be dealing directly with code, but numerous examples and libraries are available. Sensors or shields will communicate with serial or TTL.
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Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping
If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.
Skill Level: Competent - You will be required to reference a datasheet or schematic to know how to use a component. Your knowledge of a datasheet will only require basic features like power requirements, pinouts, or communications type. Also, you may need a power supply that?s greater than 12V or more than 1A worth of current.
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Comments
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Customer Reviews
5 out of 5
Based on 3 ratings:
1 of 1 found this helpful:
Easy to use and versatile
Well, the QWIIC interface makes it a breeze to use once a missing "Wire.begin();" in the beginning of the setup() block was added to the example code.
See this support thread: https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=51517&p=209942
Very Quiic
Plug and play, had my bistable solenoid valve up and running in minutes. Very happy
Very smooth motor speed changes
With the added capability to change polarity, and drive two motors; that’s a lot of functionality packed into a small foot print… nicely done!
Could this operate a 4-wire 5v stepper?
You could potentially write a sketch that might work with a stepper motor, but the Qwiic Motor Driver is intended for DC motors.
"Alex The Giant" solved the problem I documented below See this thread: https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=51517&p=209942
A simple "Wire.begin();" in the beginning of the setup() block fixed the problem: (It is not there in the example)
So, now the Qwiic Motor Driver is a 5 star success :-) !!!
I cannot get the MotorTest01 example to work with my Redboard Artemis board. It will not return the 0xA9 ID. See my forum post here: https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=51517&p=209942
Several other QWIIC boards do work with my board!
When working, I see that this Board would be very useful for motor-controlling, thus I sincerely hope Sparkfun will help resolve this problem and continue producing these boards!
The Hookup Guide references use of the Theragrip Thermal Tape, which is listed as retired. Is a replacement coming? Otherwise, use of a heat sink becomes a Sticky situation.
Hookup guide -> Error 404
Edit: It works now
I think it might have just been a timing issue - thanks for keeping on top of things!