How to Use a L293D Chip with Arduino and a Motor

Lets control an DC motor with a L293D chip and make it so it will go clockwise or counter clockwise. I received a kit from GearBest that included all the parts I needed for this project and recommend it to you if you are just starting with Arduino, You can check it out here!

The parts you will need are:

• Arduino Board with PWM

• L293D Motor Driver

• Wires

• External Power Supply (not needed but recommended)

• 10 minutes

Lets Begin!

Step 1: Wire Everything!

Now we're going to wire everything. I created the schematic to make it easier to understand, then used that for reference when wiring it. It's super simple!

For people that can't see the picture notes: In the schematic the bottom wire from the chip is the one you would connect to the power supply positive, I didn't add it to keep things simple.

Step 2: Code the Arduino

The code is super simple, we use "for" statements and "analogWrite" to control it.

For Example:

when pin 5 is low and pin 6 is high it will rotate clockwise

or

when pin 5 is high and pin 6 is low it will rotate counter-clockwise

You can download the code from here.

Here is the code also:

void setup() {
  }
void loop() {
  for(int i = 0; i<255; i++){
    analogWrite(5, i);
    analogWrite(6, 0);
    delay(5);
  }
  for(int i = 0; i<255; i++){
    analogWrite(5, 255-i);
    analogWrite(6, 0);
    delay(5);
  }
  for(int i = 0; i<255; i++){
    analogWrite(5, 0);
    analogWrite(6, i);
    delay(5);
  }
  for(int i = 0; i<255; i++){
    analogWrite(5, 0);
    analogWrite(6, 255-i);
    delay(5);
  }
}

Step 3: Test It Out!

Your motor should now get increasingly faster then decelerate reverse direction and repeat!

If you have any questions leave them in the comments and I will try to help you out.

Hope you enjoyed: