Adafruit Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield for Arduino v2 Kit [v2.3]

The Adafruit Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield v2.3 is the upgraded successor to the original Motor Shield, delivering higher current, lower voltage drop, and a fully I2C-based design that frees up your Arduino's PWM pins. Drive up to 4 DC motors or 2 stepper motors plus 2 hobby servos from a single stackable shield.

The v2 replaces the L293D darlington drivers with TB6612 MOSFET drivers, providing 1.2 A per channel (3 A peak for ~20 ms bursts) with lower voltage drop for more torque from your batteries. A dedicated PWM driver chip handles all motor control over I2C, using only two data pins (SDA & SCL) — making it compatible with any Arduino and fully stackable with up to 32 shields (5 address-select pins).

Key Features

• TB6612 MOSFET Drivers – 1.2 A per channel, 3 A peak, with thermal shutdown and built-in flyback diodes
• 4× DC Motors – Bi-directional with individual 8-bit speed control
• 2× Stepper Motors – Unipolar or bipolar; single coil, double coil, interleaved, or micro-stepping
• 2× Servo Connections – 5 V hobby servos on Arduino's dedicated timer (jitter-free)
• I2C Control – Dedicated PWM chip frees all Arduino PWM pins; only SDA + SCL needed
• Stackable – 5 address-select pins allow up to 32 shields (128 DC motors or 64 steppers)
• 4.5–13.5 V Motor Supply – Polarity-protected 2-pin terminal with jumper for separate logic/motor power
• Large Terminal Blocks – Easy wire connection (18–26 AWG)
• Prototyping Area – Small area on the shield for additional components

Compatibility

• Arduino UNO, Leonardo, Due, Mega/ADK R3, Diecimila, and Duemilanove
• Mega/ADK R2 and earlier with 2 wire jumpers

Ideal For

• Robotics projects with multiple motors
• CNC and 3D printer motion control
• Automated mechanisms with stepper motors
• Pan/tilt servo systems with motor-driven locomotion

Package Contents

• 1× Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield v2.3 (assembled and tested)
• 1× Terminal block set (colour may vary)
• 1× Plain header strip
• 1× Jumper

Resources

• Motor Shield v2 Learn Guide