Motoron M3S256 Triple Motor Controller Shield Kit for Arduino

by Pololu

The Motoron M3S256 shield makes it easy to control up to three bidirectional, brushed DC motors with an Arduino or compatible board.

It operates from 4.5 V to 48 V and can deliver continuous output currents up to 2 A per motor. Multiple Motoron controllers can be stacked on top of each other, allowing independent control of many motors. Unlike most of our motor drivers and motor driver shields, the Motoron does not require any PWM outputs or timers on your Arduino. Instead, the Arduino communicates with the Motoron using I²C, so only two I/O lines are needed regardless of how many Motorons you connect.

This is a kit that ships with the following connectors included but not soldered in:

  • One 1×10 stackable female header
  • One 1×8 stackable female header
  • Four 2-pin 3.5mm terminal blocks
  • Four 2-pin 5mm screw terminal blocks
  • One 1×25 breakaway male header (you can cut or break this into smaller header strips to install as desired)

There are more parts included than can be soldered to the board, providing different assembly options to suit a variety of applications. Additional connector options are available separately, and you can also solder wires directly to the board for more compact installations.

Note: For applications where the Motoron will be used as a standalone board or at the top of a shield stack, it can be assembled with the included 0.1″ male header pins and larger (5.0mm-pitch) blue terminal blocks. For applications where the Motoron will be one of the intermediate members of a stack of shields, we recommend assembling it with the stackable headers and smaller (3.5mm-pitch) green terminal blocks. The terminal blocks are intended to be soldered to the larger through-holes for the power and motor connections, and the blue ones should get locked together prior to installation.

Features and specifications

  • Three motor control channels allow for independent control of up to three bidirectional brushed DC motors per Motoron
  • Wide operating voltage range: 4.5 V to 48 V
  • Maximum output current per motor: 2.0 A continuous, 6.4 A peak for <1 second
  • Reverse-voltage protection on motor power supply (down to -40 V)
  • Logic voltage range: 2.8 V to 5.5 V
  • Control interface: I²C
  • I²C clock speed: up to 400 kHz
  • Optional cyclic redundancy checking (CRC)
  • Configurable motion parameters:
    • Max acceleration/deceleration forward/reverse
    • Starting speed forward/reverse
    • Direction change delay forward/reverse
  • PWM frequency: eight options available from 1 kHz to 80 kHz
  • Command timeout feature stops motors if the Arduino stops functioning
  • Configurable automatic error response
  • Motor power supply (VIN) voltage measurement
  • Optional pins make it easy to power the Arduino from reverse-protected motor power, either directly or through an external regulator (not included)
  • Two status LEDs
  • Motor direction indicator LEDs
  • Motoron Arduino library simplifies getting started using the Motoron with an Arduino or compatible controller
  • Comprehensive user’s guide

General specifications

Channels: 3
Model: Motoron M3S256
Control interface: I²C
Minimum operating voltage: 4.5 V
Maximum operating voltage: 48 V1
Continuous output current per channel: 2.0 A
Peak output current per channel: 6.4 A
Reverse voltage protection?: Y2
Connectors soldered?: N

1 Not recommended for use with 48V batteries.
2 Note: Reverse voltage protection only works up to 40 V.