Data Sheet

RoboClaw 120A/160A/200A Dual Channel Motor Controller Data Sheet

Logic Battery (LB+)

The logic circuit of RoboClaw can be powered from a secondary battery wired to LB+. A logic battery will prevent brownouts

when the main battery is low or under heavy load. The positive (+) terminal is labeled LB+ and ground (-) is shared. The

minimum input voltage is 6VDC and the maximum is 14VDC.

Failure to remove LB-MB jumper when a logic battery

is in use, will result in damage.

Encoder Inputs (1A / 1B / 2A / 2B)

The encoders inputs are labeled ENC1 and ENC2. ENC1 is for encoder 1 and ENC2 is for encoder 2 which also correspond to

motor channel 1 and motor channel 2. Quadrature encoder inputs are typically labeled 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. Channel A of both

ENC1 and ENC2 are located at the board edge on the pin header. Channel B pins are located near the heatsink on the pin

header. Quadrature encoders are directional. When connecting encoders make sure the leading channel for the direction of

rotation is connected to A. If one encoder is backwards to the other you will have one internal counter counting up and the

other counting down. Use Ion Studio to determine the encoders direction to the motors rotation. Encoder channels A and B

can be swapped in software using Ion Studio to avoid re-wiring the encoder or motor.

Control Inputs (S1 / S2 / S3 / S4 /S5)

S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5 are congured for standard servo style headers I/O (except on ST models), +5V and GND. S1 and

S2 are the control inputs for serial, analog and RC modes. S3 can be used as a ip switch input, when in RC or Analog

modes. In serial mode S3, S4 and S5 can be used as emergency stops inputs or as voltage clamping control outputs. When

congured as E-Stop inputs, they are active when pulled low. All I/O have internal pull-ups to prevent accidentally triggers

when left oating. S4 and S5 can congured as home switch and limit switch inputs. The pins closest to the board edge are

the I/0s, center pin is the +5V and the inside pins are ground. Some RC receivers have their own supply and will conict

with the RoboClaw’s 5v logic supply. It may be necessary to remove the +5V pin from the RC receivers cable in those

situations.

Main Battery

The main power input can be from 6VDC to 34VDC on a standard RoboClaw and 10.5VDC to 60VDC or 80VDC on an HV

(High Voltage) RoboClaw. The connections are marked + and - on the plate. The plus (+) symbol marks the positive wire

and the negative (-) marks the negative wire. The main battery wires are color coded in addition to being labeled. The red

wire is positive (+) and negative wire (-) is black. The main battery wires should be kept as short as possible.

Do not reverse main battery wires or damage will occur.

Disconnect

The main battery should include a quick disconnect in case of a run away situation and power needs to be cut. The switch

must be rated to handle the maximum current and voltage from the battery. Total current will vary depending on the type

of motors used. A common solution would be an inexpensive contactor which can be source from sites like Ebay. A power

diode rated for the maximum current the battery will deliver should be placed across the switch/contactor to provide a path

back to the battery when disconnected while the motors are spinning. The diode will provide a path back to the battery for

regenerative power even if the switch is opened.

Motor Wires

The motor wires are color coded and labeled. M1A / M1B for channel 1 and M2A / M2B for channel 2. For a typical

differential drive robot the wiring of one motor should be reversed from the other. The motor and battery wires should be as

short as possible. Long wires can increase the inductance and therefore increase potentially harmful voltage spikes.