User Manual

7. Using the Driver in Single-Channel Mode

The dual VNH5019 motor driver shield uses two VNH5019 motor driver ICs to enable independent

control of two bidirectional brushed DC motors, and each motor channel by itself is capable of

delivering up to 12 A of continuous current while tolerating brief current spikes up to 30 A. If you

need more power than this, however, you can combine the two motor channels into a single, doubly-

powerful channel that can deliver up to a continuous 24 A (60 A peak) to one brushed DC motor.

Page 23 of the VNH5019 datasheet [https://www.pololu.com/file/download/vnh5019.pdf?file_id=0J504] (475k

pdf) recommends accomplishing this by using each of the two motor drivers as a half-bridge. The

connections shown in the following diagram turn motor driver M1 into a new “half-bridge A” and motor

driver M2 into a new “half-bridge B”:

Using the dual VNH5019 motor driver shield to drive a single, more powerful motor.

• Effectively create a new INA pin by connecting M1INA and MI1B to the same digital output.

• Effectively create a new INB pin by connecting M2INA and M2INB to another digital output.

• Effectively create a new PWM pin by connecting M1PWM and M2PWM to the same PWM

output.

• Effectively create a new OUTA pin by connecting one motor terminal to both M1A and M1B

motor outputs.

• Effectively create a new OUTB pin by connecting the other motor terminal to both M2A and

M2B motor outputs.

The motor driver truth table for this new setup then becomes:

7. Using the Driver in Single-Channel Mode Page 30 of 35