1. Overview

The Motoron motor controllers are a family of general-purpose modules designed to control brushed DC motors. The Motoron receives commands via I²C or UART serial (depending on which model you have), so only two I/O lines are needed regardless of how many Motorons you connect.

Features and specifications

• Control interface: I²C or UART serial (depending on the model)
  • I²C clock speed: up to 400 kHz
  • UART serial baud rate: up to 250,000 bps
• 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 Motoron stops receiving commands
• Configurable automatic error response
• Motor power supply (VIN) voltage measurement
• Two status LEDs
• Motor direction indicator LEDs
• Motoron Arduino library simplifies getting started with an Arduino or compatible controller
• Motoron Python library simplifies using the Motoron with Python or MicroPython

Available versions

The Motoron motor controllers are divided into three different classes with different operating voltage ranges and maximum currents.

• Each Motoron in the 550 class operates from 1.8 V to 22 V and can provide a maximum continuous current of 1.6 A to 1.8 A per motor (depending on the model).
  • Motoron M1x550 Single Motor Controllers
  • Motoron M2x550 Dual Motor Controllers
  • Motoron M3S550 Triple Motor Controller Shield for Arduino
  • Motoron M3H550 Triple Motor Controller for Raspberry Pi
• Each Motoron in the 256 class operates from 4.5 V to 48 V and can provide a maximum continuous current of 1.8 A to 2.2 A per motor (depending on the model).
  • Motoron M1x256 Single Motor Controllers
  • Motoron M2x256 Dual Motor Controllers
  • Motoron M3S256 Triple Motor Controller Shield for Arduino
  • Motoron M3H256 Triple Motor Controller for Raspberry Pi
• Each Motoron in the high-power class has a minimum operating voltage of 6.5 V, can operate up to 30 V or 40 V (depending on the model), and can provide a maximum continuous current of 14 A to 20 A (depending on the model). These high-power models have current sensing and configurable hardware current limiting.
  • Motoron M2S Dual High-Power Motor Controllers for Arduino
  • Motoron M2H Dual High-Power Motor Controllers for Raspberry Pi

Each of the links in the list above goes to a category on the Pololu website that contains several different Motoron products. Visit the links above to learn the details for each Motoron product, including its operating voltage range, maximum current, control interface, number of channels, and what hardware comes included or soldered.

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:	$14.24 – $16.19	$18.67 – $20.69	$19.71 – $21.72	$28.72 – $30.73
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:	$25.26 – $36.14	$42.01 – $52.94	$71.67 – $83.56	$96.51 – $108.41	$71.67 – $83.56	$96.51 – $108.41
1 The M3H550 is not recommended for use with 5V nominal logic.