Controlling 2 DC Motors with 12V Battery: Tips for Design Engineering Students

[Aquadust]

Hi

I am a 4Th year design engineering student and have a final project to complete but my knowledge base is mainly mechanical and materials but I have to complete and electronics part of the project.

My problem is I need to control 2 12V DC motors off 1 12V battery and I believe they need to be in parallel to do this. But I need a simple, cheap way of controlling the speed of the product and I have no idea how to do this.

I'm pretty sure I need a potentiometer for adjusting control, a push to make switch, a key to turn on and off and some way of monitoring battery life.

I keep reading about PMW and H-bridge but have no idea how to apply any of it due to my given situation or even if I need that or can a simpler way be used.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[KataKoniK]

Hi there,

As a scientist with expertise in electronics, I can offer some guidance on how to control your 12V DC motors using a simple and cost-effective method.

Firstly, you are correct in thinking that you will need to connect the motors in parallel to the 12V battery in order to power them both. This will ensure that they receive the same voltage and can operate simultaneously.

To control the speed of the motors, you will need to use a device called a motor controller. This can be a standalone unit or integrated into your circuit. A motor controller works by adjusting the amount of voltage and current that is delivered to the motors, thereby controlling their speed.

One option for a simple and cheap motor controller is a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit. This circuit involves using a microcontroller or timer to rapidly switch the motor's power on and off at varying intervals, effectively controlling the average voltage and current delivered to the motor. This can be achieved using a potentiometer to adjust the duty cycle of the PWM signal, which will in turn control the motor speed.

Alternatively, you can also use a motor driver IC, such as an H-bridge, which will allow you to control the direction and speed of the motors using a simple input signal. This may be a more straightforward option for your project, as it eliminates the need for a microcontroller or timer.

In terms of monitoring battery life, you can use a voltage divider circuit to measure the voltage of the battery and display it using a simple voltmeter or LED display.

I hope this helps to give you some ideas for how to approach your project. If you have any further questions or need more specific guidance, feel free to reach out to me. Good luck with your project!