User Manual

Pololu dual VNH5019 motor driver shield
for Arduino.
1. Overview
This user’s guide focuses on the latest
version (ash02b) [https://www.pololu.com/
product/2507] of the Pololu dual VNH5019 motor
driver shield, but most of the information also
applies to the earlier ash02a
[https://www.pololu.com/product/2502] version. See
Section 9 for details about the differences
between board revisions.
The Pololu dual VNH5019 motor driver shield for
Arduino [https://www.pololu.com/product/2507] and its
corresponding Arduino library make it easy to control
two bidirectional, high-power DC motors with an Arduino [https://www.pololu.com/product/2191] or
compatible board, such as the A-Star 32U4 Prime [https://www.pololu.com/category/165/a-star-32u4-prime].
The board features a pair of robust VNH5019 motor drivers from ST, which operate from 5.5 to 24 V
and can deliver a continuous 12 A (30 A peak) per channel, and incorporates most of the components
of the typical application diagram on page 14 of the VNH5019 datasheet [https://www.pololu.com/file/
download/vnh5019.pdf?file_id=0J504] (475k pdf), including pull-up and protection resistors and FETs for
reverse battery protection. It ships fully populated with its SMD components, including the two
VNH5019 ICs, as shown in the picture to the right; stackable Arduino headers and terminal blocks for
connecting motors and motor power are included but are not soldered in.
This versatile motor driver is intended for a wide range of users, from beginners who just want a
plug-and-play motor control solution for their Arduinos (and are okay with a little soldering) to experts
who want to directly interface with ST’s great motor driver ICs. The Arduino pin mappings can all be
customized if the defaults are not convenient, and the VNH5019 control lines are broken out along
the left side of the board, providing a convenient interface point for other microcontroller boards. This
versatility, along with an option to power the Arduino directly from the shield, sets this board apart from
similar competing motor shields.
1.a. Features
Pololu Dual VNH5019 Motor Driver Shield User’s Guide © 2001–2017 Pololu Corporation
1. Overview Page 2 of 35