What is a Motor Driver?
A motor driver is a bridge between a microcontroller and a motor. Since Arduino pins can only source ~20 mA and motors need hundreds of mA to amps, the driver uses an external supply and switches it based on MCU logic. L298N and TB6612FNG are the two most common in student projects.
L298N basics
The L298N drives two DC motors up to 2 A each. Wire IN1/IN2 to control motor 1 direction (10/01 = forward/reverse, 11/00 = stop), and PWM ENA to set speed.
L298N vs TB6612FNG
L298N is beginner-friendly but drops 2 V across itself and gets hot. TB6612FNG is smaller, cooler, more efficient — preferred for competition robots.
FAQs
Why does my motor stutter?
Under-powered supply. A 9 V battery is not enough for two BO motors under load — use two 18650 Li-ion cells in series.
Do I need flyback diodes?
L298N has them internally. If you're driving a motor directly from a transistor, add an external flyback diode across the motor terminals.
