The DRV8838 Single Brushed DC Motor Driver Carrier is a great solution for controlling small brushed DC motors. Texas Instruments' DRV8838 is a tiny H - bridge motor driver IC that can bidirectionally control one brushed DC motor at 0 V to 11 V. It can supply up to about 1.7 A continuously and tolerate peak currents up to 1.8 A for short periods, perfect for low - voltage small motors. The original DRV8838's small, leadless package is challenging for students and hobbyists. Our breakout board gives it a 10 - pin DIP package form factor, making it easy to use with standard solderless breadboards and 0.1″ perfboards. This board comes populated with SMD components, including the DRV8838, and has a FET for reverse battery protection. It's a smaller, lower - cost, single - channel alternative to our DRV8835 and DRV8833 dual motor driver carriers. For higher - voltage needs, consider our MAX14870, A4990, and DRV8801 motor driver carriers. Key features include an H - bridge design for one DC motor, motor supply voltage from 0 V to 11 V, logic supply voltage from 1.8 V to 7 V, an output current up to 1.7 A continuous (1.8 A peak), a PHASE/ENABLE interface, 3V - and 5V - compatible inputs, under - voltage lockout, over - current and over - temperature protection, reverse - voltage protection on the motor supply, and a compact 0.5″×0.4″ size. Two 1×5 - pin breakaway 0.1″ male headers are included. You can solder them in for use with breadboards, perfboards, or 0.1″ female connectors. When using the motor driver, connect motor and motor power on one side and logic power and control on the other. Supply a motor voltage between 0 V and 11 V to the VIN or VM pin and a logic voltage between 1.8 V and 7 V to the VCC pin. The VIN pin is reverse - protected but has performance issues below a few volts, with 1.5 V as the lower limit. For very low - voltage applications, connect the motor supply directly to VM. The DRV8838 offers a simple PHASE/ENABLE control interface. The PHASE pin controls the motor direction, and the ENABLE pin can use a PWM signal to control speed. The SLEEP pin can put the driver into a low - power sleep mode. This carrier board can also be used with the pin - compatible DRV8837. Check the datasheet for detailed comparison.
Using the DRV8838 Single Brushed DC Motor Driver Carrier is easy. First, make sure to connect the motor and motor power on one side of the board and the logic power and control on the other side. Supply the right voltages: a motor voltage between 0 V and 11 V to the VIN or VM pin, and a logic voltage between 1.8 V and 7 V to the VCC pin. If you're working with very low - voltage applications, use the VM pin directly to bypass the reverse - protection circuit. To control the motor, use the PHASE/ENABLE interface. The PHASE pin sets the motor's direction, and the ENABLE pin, with a PWM signal, controls the speed. You can also use the SLEEP pin to put the driver into a low - power sleep mode when you want the motor to coast. There are a few things to note. This product can get hot enough to burn you, so handle it with care. Also, the maximum continuous current the chip can handle depends on how well you keep it cool. In most cases, a continuous current of 1.7 A is sustainable for a long time, but 1.8 A might trigger thermal protection. When both motor and logic voltages are low, the maximum achievable output current will go down. For maintenance, keep the board clean and dry. Check the connections regularly to make sure they're secure. If you plan to use the DRV8837 instead of the DRV8838, you'll need appropriate surface - mount rework tools to swap them. And if you need a high - volume custom batch with the DRV8837, just contact us.
