The Hobbyist’s Guide to DC Motor Controllers for Every Budget

There is no doubt the DC motor controllers are one of the most used parts in robotics and not only. Sure, countless of them are cheap enough for DIY projects and compatible with prototyping boards such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi. The price of DC motor controllers ranging from several dollars and up to hundreds of dollars. It’s no wonder that the roboticists and hobbyists use motor controllers daily to build a large variety of projects on its sturdy back.

In this article, we present a hand-picked collection of DC motor controllers for makers and hackers. In addition to them, we had presented other guide of Arduino motor shields that includes a variety of DC motor controllers.

For the sake of this article, let’s lay out the guide of the best DC motor controllers in a range of prices to suit pretty much any budget.

Table of Contents

Under $10:

  1. DRV8838
    It can deliver a continuous 1.7A (1.8A peak) to a single brushed DC motor. Operating voltage ranges from 0V to 11V. Available at Pololu, priced $3.49.
  2. TB6612FNG
    This DC motor controller can deliver a continuous 1A (3A peak) to two bidirectional DC motors or one bipolar stepper motor. Operating voltage ranges from 4.5V to 13.5V. Available at Pololu, priced $4.95.
  3. SainSmart L293D Motor Drive
    The SainSmart’s motor drive can deliver a continuous 0.6A (1.2A peak) to 4 bi-directional DC motors or 2 servo motors or 2 stepper motors. Operating voltage ranges from 4.5V to 25V. Available at Amazon, priced $5.50.
  4. Dual H-Bridge Motor Driver Board for DC / Steppers – L293D
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 0.6A to two bi-directional DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 4.5V to 36V. Available at Robotshop, priced $5.69.
  5. DROK L298N Motor Drive
    The DROK motor drive can deliver a continuous 0.36A (2A peak) to two bi-directional DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 5V to 35V. Available at Amazon, priced $6.99.
  6. Pololu DRV8835 Dual Motor Driver Kit for Raspberry Pi
    The Pololu’s motor controller can deliver a continuous 1.2A (1.5A peak) to two DC motors, or a continuous 2.4A (3A peak) to a single DC motor. Operating voltage ranges from 1.5V to 11V. Available at Pololu, priced $7.49.
  7. Motor Controller
    This motor controller can deliver a continuous 1.2A (3.2A peak) to two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 4.5V to 15V. Available at Robotshop, priced $8.95.

$10 – 20:

  1. Grove – I2C Mini Motor Driver
    This motor controller can deliver a continuous 0.2A to 1A (can be adjusted) to two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 2.75V to 6.8V. Available at Seeedstudio, priced $10.90.
  2. L293D Dual H-Bridge Motor Control
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 0.6A (1.2A peak) to two DC motors or one stepping motor. Operating voltage ranges from 4.5V to 36V. Available at Amazon, priced $10.99.
  3. Rover Arduino Compatible Motor Expansion Shield
    The DFRobotShop’s motor controller can deliver a maximum 2A current to two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 7V to 12V. available at Robotshop, priced $13.58.
  4. Cytron DC Motor Driver MD10C
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 13A (30A peak) to one brushed DC motor. Operating voltage ranges from 5V to 25V. Available at Technobotsonline, priced £9.62.
  5. DC Motor Driver Arduino Shield
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 10A (15A peak) to one brushed DC motor. Operating voltage ranges from 7V to 30V. Available at Robotshop, priced $15.75.
  6. Dual Motor Controller
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 2A to two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 4.8V to 46V. Available at Amazon, priced $19.05.
  7. Motor Shield V2.0
    This motor drive can drive two DC motors or a stepper motor. Operating voltage ranges from 5V to 15V. Available at Seeedstudio, priced $19.50.

$20 – 40:

  1. Dual Channel DC Motor Driver
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 10A (30A peak) to two brushed DC motor. Operating voltage ranges from 5V to 30V. Available at Robotshop, priced $23.49.
  2. L298 Dual H-Bridge Motor Driver
    This DC motor controller can drive two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 5V to 46V. Available at Seeedstudio, priced $23.50.
  3. Adafruit Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield for Arduino v2 Kit
    The Adafruit’s motor driver can deliver a continuous 1.2A (3A peak) to four DC motors or two stepper motors. Available at Amazon, priced $26.95.
  4. Dual MC33926 Motor Driver Carrier
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 3A (5A peak) to two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 5V to 28V. Available at Pololu, priced $29.95.
  5. Dual Serial Motor Controller
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 2A to two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 5V to 16V. Available at eBay, priced $30.45.
  6. Pololu Simple Motor Controller 18v7
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 7A (30 A peak) to two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 5.5V to 30V. Available at Pololu, priced $33.95.

$40 – 100:

  1. Smart Dual 10A Motor Driver
    This motor drive can deliver a continuous 10A (30 A peak) to two brushed DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 7V to 35V. Available at Tindie, priced $43.70.
  2. Jrk 21v3 USB Motor Controller with Feedback
    The Pololu’s motor controller can deliver a continuous 3A to two DC motors. Operating voltage ranges from 8V to 28V. Available at Pololu, priced $51.95.
  3. Arduino Motor Shield R3
    The Arduino’s motor shield can deliver a continuous 2A (4A max with external power supply) to two DC motors or one stepper motor. Operating voltage ranges from 5V to 12V. Available at Amazon, priced $64.05.
  4. PhidgetMotorControl 1-Motor
    This motor controller can deliver a continuous 5A (8A peak) to one DC motor. Operating voltage ranges from 9V to 28V. Available at Phidgets, priced $80.00.
  5. Sabertooth Dual 12A Motor Driver for R/C
    This motor controller can deliver a continuous 12A (25A peak) to two DC brushed motor. Operating voltage up to 24V. Available at Amazon, priced $89.00.

$100+:

  1. Sabertooth Dual 25A Motor Driver
    This motor controller can deliver a continuous 25A (50A peak) to two DC brushed motors. Available at Amazon, priced $124.99.
  2. Sabertooth Dual 60A 6V-30V Regenerative Motor Driver
    This motor controller can deliver a continuous 60A (120A peak) to two DC brushed motors. Operating voltage ranges from 6V to 30V. Available at Robotshop, priced $189.99.
  3. Syren Single 50A DC Motor Driver
    This motor controller can deliver a continuous 50A (100A peak) to one DC brushed motors. Operating voltage ranges from 6V to 30V. Available at eBay, priced $200.99.

(Image credits: Pololu, Amazon, Robotshop, Seeedstudio, Technobotsonline, eBay, Tindie, Phidgets)

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

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