User Manual

Dual VNH5019 motor driver shield power buses when connected

to an Arduino.

In the shield’s default state, the motor driver shield and Arduino are powered separately. When used

this way, the Arduino must be powered via USB, its power jack, or its VIN pin, and the shield must

be supplied with 5.5 to 24 V through the large VIN and GND pads on the right side of the board.

Attempting to power the shield through other means, such as from the Arduino or through the small

VOUT pin, can permanently damage both the Arduino and the shield (only the large power traces on

the right side of the shield are designed to handle the high currents involved in powering motors). A

high-side reverse-voltage protection MOSFET prevents the shield from being damaged if shield power

is inadvertently connected backwards (for supply voltages up to 16 V; higher voltages can damage the

driver if connected in reverse). Logic power, VDD, is automatically supplied by the Arduino.

Note that the motor driver features over-voltage protection that can activate at voltages

as low as 24 V, so we do not recommend using it with 24 V batteries (such batteries can

significantly exceed 24 V when fully charged).

3. Getting Started with an Arduino Page 12 of 35