Pololu
Dual MAX14870 Motor Driver for Raspberry Pi
Control two brushed DC motors directly from your Raspberry Pi with this dual motor driver featuring MAX14870 H-bridge ICs. Capable of handling motors from 4....
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Control two brushed DC motors directly from your Raspberry Pi with this dual motor driver featuring MAX14870 H-bridge ICs. Capable of handling motors from 4.5V to 36V with up to 1.7A continuous per channel, it's perfect for robotics and motorised projects.
This assembled version comes with headers and terminal blocks pre-soldered, ready to plug onto any 40-pin Raspberry Pi. The included Python library makes motor control straightforward, with support for PWM speed control and direction switching.
Key Features
- Dual MAX14870 H-Bridges – Control 2 bidirectional DC motors
- Wide Voltage Range – 4.5V to 36V motor supply
- 1.7A Continuous / 2.5A Peak – Per channel current handling
- 50 kHz PWM – High-frequency speed control
- Built-in Protection – Reverse voltage, under-voltage, over-current, over-temperature
- Python Library – Easy programming interface
- Fully Assembled – Headers and terminals pre-soldered
- 5mm Terminal Blocks – Secure motor and power connections
Specifications
- Motor Voltage – 4.5V to 36V
- Continuous Current – 1.7A per channel
- Peak Current – 2.5A per channel
- GPIO Pins Used – 5 pins (default) + 1 fault pin
- Max PWM Frequency – 50 kHz
Compatibility
- Raspberry Pi 4, 3B+, 3B, 2B, B+, A+
- Any 40-pin Raspberry Pi
Ideal For
- Mobile robots
- Motorised vehicles
- Pan-tilt mechanisms
- Automation projects
Package Contents
- 1× Dual MAX14870 Motor Driver (assembled)
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- DC
- DC means direct current, where electricity flows in one constant direction, as supplied by batteries, USB ports and many plug-pack power supplies. When a product specifies DC, it runs from a DC supply rather than mains AC, so you need to provide the correct voltage and polarity.
- GPIO
- General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.
- Headers
- Rows of connector contacts on a fixed pitch (commonly 2.54 mm) used to link a board to a breadboard, jumper wires, or another board. They come as male pin headers and female socket headers; when a module ships with pre-soldered headers it can be used straight away, whereas bare pads require soldering the pins yourself.
- motor driver
- An electronic circuit that lets a low-power controller switch and control a motor that needs more current than the controller pins can safely provide. Checking motor driver support matters because pumps and motors usually cannot be connected directly to a microcontroller output.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
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Brands
Robotics & Motion
Related Tutorials
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