Description
The L298N stepper motor driver or DC motor driver enables very easy and inexpensive control of a two-phase, bipolar stepper motor. It is ideal for a stepper motor Nema 17 with 4, 6 or 8 wires if properly connected. The L298N module can also control up to 4 DC motors or 2 DC motors with direction and speed control. It can handle a voltage range of 5 – 35 V and a maximum current of 2 A per phase.
The L298N has two H-bridges that each feed its own coil in the stepper motor in a precise sequence, allowing precise turning of the stepper motor axis in small increments in one direction or the other.
What is an H bridge?
H bridge is an electronic circuit whose main function is to change the polarity of the voltage on the connected load. This is made possible by 4 "switches", which, with the correct combination of opening and closing, determine the polarity of the voltage.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-bridge
Specifications
- Minimum operating voltage: 5V
- Maximum operating voltage: 35 V (when using an operating voltage > 12 V, the 5 V voltage provided by L298N must not be used, otherwise the 5 V regulator will be overloaded)
- Maximum current per phase: 2 A
- Signal voltage: 5 V
- Signal levels: low -0.3 VDC ~ 1.5 VDC, high: > 2.3 VDC
- Signal current: 0 ~ 36 mA
- Maximum power: 25 W
- Storage temperature: – 20 °C ~ + 135 °C
- More details can be found here: L298N Datasheet
Dimensions L298N
L298N stepper motor or DC motor driver and its terminals and connections
L298N stepper motor or DC motor driver and its power supply
The power terminal consists of 3 pins:
- +12V pin: to this pin we connect the power supply for the stepper motors, 5 ~ 35 VDC (even though it says +12V)
- GND pin
- +5V pin:
The L298N stepper motor or DC motor driver module has a built-in 5V voltage regulator 78M05. You can enable or disable it using a jumper.
When the jumper is placed on the 5V EN Jumper, the 5V regulator is enabled, which thus ensures the supply of the logic from the external power supply on the +12V pin. In this case, the +5V pin acts as an output terminal providing 5V 0.5A. You can use it to power an Arduino or other circuit that requires a 5V power supply.
When the jumper is removed, the 5V regulator is disabled. In this case, we have to provide it ourselves separately external 5V power supply via +5V pin.
Warning: If you connect a power supply with a voltage below 12V to the +12V pin, you can install a jumper and use the 5V on the +5V pin to power other devices. If the external power supply on the +12V pin is more than 12V, remove the jumper so that the built-in 5V regulator is not damaged.
Voltage drop
The L298N motor driver voltage drop is about 2V. This is due to the internal voltage drop across the switching transistors in the H-bridge circuit.
So if we connect 12V to the +12V pin, the motors will receive a voltage of around 10V.
Output terminals
The 2 output terminals are located on opposite sides of the module and provide power to coils A and B of the stepper motor. For normal operation of the stepper motor, it is necessary to enable both terminals by placing both jumpers on ENA and ENB.
Logic signals
Through the direction control pins, we can control whether the stepper motor rotates forward or backward. The module has two pins for controlling each stepper motor phase. Pins IN1 and IN2 control phase A, while IN3 and IN4 control phase B of the stepper motor.
If you need help controlling the L298N with an Arduino or other microcontroller, contact us contact We will be happy to help you.
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