Motoron M3H256 Triple Motor Controller Kit for Raspberry Pi

Overview

The Motoron M3H256 add-on board makes it easy to control up to three bidirectional, brushed DC motors with a compatible Raspberry Pi (Model B+ or newer). It supports motor supply voltages from 4.5 V to 48 V and can deliver continuous output currents up to 2 A per motor. The M3H256 is designed to stack on top of a Raspberry Pi (Model B+ or newer), similar to a HAT (Hardware Attached on Top), and 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 expansion boards for Raspberry Pi, the Motoron does not require any PWM outputs on your Raspberry Pi. Instead, the Raspberry Pi communicates with the Motoron using I²C, so only two GPIO pins are needed regardless of how many Motorons you connect.

Three M3H256 versions are available to provide different options for the through-hole connectors:

• Motoron M3H256 with soldered stackable headers and terminal blocks
• Motoron M3H256 with headers and terminal blocks included but not soldered in
• Motoron M3H256 without any headers, terminal blocks, or mounting hardware included

For applications using an Arduino or compatible controller, consider the Motoron M3S256 instead (also available with different connector options).

Details for item #5034

Motoron M3H256 Triple Motor Controller Kit for Raspberry Pi.

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

• Two 1×10 stackable female headers (or one 2×10 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)

It also includes a set of two M2.5 standoffs (11 mm length), screws, and nuts that can be used to secure the board at the proper height for the GPIO connector.

There are more connectors 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 an add-on board 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 add-on boards, we recommend assembling it with the stackable headers and smaller (3.5mm-pitch) green terminal blocks (just like our version with connectors already soldered). 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 (see our short video on terminal block installation).

An Arduino Micro on a breadboard using a Motoron M3H256 to control three motors.

A Motoron M3H256 being controlled by a Raspberry Pi.

Motoron M3H256 or M3H550 Triple Motor Controller for Raspberry Pi pinout.

Features and specifications

• Three motor control channels allow for independent control of up to three bidirectional brushed DC motors per Motoron
• Wide motor supply voltage range: 4.5 V to 48 V (absolute maximum)
  • Recommended maximum nominal battery voltage is approximately 36 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: 3.0 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 Raspberry Pi stops communicating
• Configurable automatic error response
• Motor power supply (VIN) voltage measurement
• Optional pins make it easy to power the Raspberry Pi from reverse-protected motor power through an external regulator (not included)
• Two status LEDs
• Motor direction indicator LEDs
• Motoron Python library simplifies using the Motoron with Python or MicroPython
• Comprehensive user’s guide

The Motoron family

The tables below list the members of the Motoron family and show the key differences among them. Each type is available in several versions to provide different options for the through-hole connectors: they can be purchased as an assembled product with connectors soldered in, as a kit with connectors included but not soldered in, or (for Arduino and Raspberry Pi expansions) as a standalone board without connectors.

Motoron motor controllers micro versions
	M1T550 M1U550	M2T550 M2U550	M1T256 M1U256	M2T256 M2U256
Control interface:	I²C or UART serial
Motor channels:	1 (single)	2 (dual)	1 (single)	2 (dual)
Minimum motor supply voltage:	1.8 V		4.5 V
Absolute max motor supply voltage:	22 V		48 V
Recommended max nominal battery voltage:	16 V		36 V
Max continuous current per channel:	1.8 A	1.6 A	2.2 A	1.8 A
Logic voltage range:	3.0 V to 4.9 V(1)		3.0 V to 5.5 V
Current sensing/limiting:
Available versions with I²C:	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included
Available verions with UART serial:	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included	headers soldered headers included
Price:	$12.49 – $14.49	$15.95 – $17.95	$16.95 – $18.95	$23.95 – $25.95
1 The M1x550 and M2x550 are not recommended for use with 5V nominal logic.

Motoron motor controllers Arduino and Raspberry Pi form factor versions
	M3S550 M3H550	M3S256 M3H256	M2S24v14 M2H24v14	M2S24v16 M2H24v16	M2S18v18 M2H18v18	M2S18v20 M2H18v20
Control interface:	I²C
Motor channels:	3 (triple)		2 (dual)
Minimum motor supply voltage:	1.8 V	4.5 V	6.5 V
Absolute max motor supply voltage:	22 V	48 V	40 V		30 V
Recommended max nominal battery voltage:	16 V	36 V	28 V		18 V
Max continuous current per channel:	1.7 A	2 A	14 A	16 A	18 A	20 A
Logic voltage range:	M3S550 3.1 V to 5.5 V	3.0 V to 5.5 V	3.0 V to 5.5 V
	M3H550 3.0 V to 4.9 V(1)
Current sensing/limiting:
Available versions for Arduino:	M3S550 assembled kit board only	M3S256 assembled kit board only	M2S24v14 assembled kit board only	M2S24v16 assembled kit board only	M2S18v18 assembled kit board only	M2S18v20 assembled kit board only
Available versions for Raspberry Pi:	M3H550 assembled kit board only	M3H256 assembled kit board only	M2H24v14 assembled kit board only	M2H24v16 assembled kit board only	M2H18v18 assembled kit board only	M2H18v20 assembled kit board only
Price:	$20.95 – $30.95	$34.95 – $44.95	$59.95 – $69.95	$79.95 – $89.95	$59.95 – $69.95	$95.95 – $104.95
1 The M3H550 is not recommended for use with 5V nominal logic.