DC Motor Control: Introduction

           Through my endeavors in robotics I have found that having the ability to control motors is a definite must if you want to get anything done in terms of movement.

           This tutorial will cover:
1. The H-Bridge.
2. Motor Control Hardware with a PIC.
3. Motor Control Software with a PIC.
4. Integration to Control a DC Motor.

           Once again, this tutorial is setup & written for the first timer, so don't worry about not understanding something. There are alot of guiding pictures & videos.

The DC Motor


The H-Bridge


Purpose of this project
           Motor Control is the beginning and some might even say the holy grail of robotics & mobility in general. Whether it is a Servo, DC, Stepper, Gas or whatever engine/motor, being able to control speed, torque, direction..etc, accurately gives us a great advantage over just being able to turn it on or off. Using a microcontroller like the PIC to control the motors gives us the additional advantage of being able to make split(micro)second decisions through programmed logic.
           The goal of this project is to control a 12 VDC motor with an LMD18245 H-Bridge. The PIC microcontroller will use the H-Bridge to vary motor speed & direction.