Adafruit Motor Shield V2 for Arduino

Created by lady ada

Last updated on 2015-01-16 06:30:12 AM EST

Guide Contents
Guide Contents

Overview

FAQ

Install Headers & Terminals

11

Installing Standard Headers

11

Installing Terminal Blocks and more

14

Installing with Stacking Headers

18

Install Software

22

Running the Example Code

22

DC Motor

22

Stepper Motor Test

24

Powering Motors

27

Voltage requirements:

27

Current requirements:

27

Setting up your shield for powering Hobby Servos

27

Setting up your shield for powering DC Motors

27

If you would like to have a single DC power supply for the Arduino and motors

28

If you would like to have the Arduino powered off of USB and the motors powered off of
a DC power supply
28
If you would like to have 2 separate DC power supplies for the Arduino and motors. 29

Using RC Servos

30

Powering Servos

30

Using DC Motors

32

Connecting DC Motors

32

Include the required libraries

32

Create the Adafruit_MotorShield object

33

Create the DC motor object

33

Connect to the Controller

33

Set default speed

33

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Run the motor

33

Using Stepper Motors

34

Include the required libraries

35

Create the Adafruit_MotorShield object

35

Create the stepper motor object

35

Set default speed

35

Run the motor

35

Stacking Shields

37

Addressing the Shields

38

Writing Code for Multiple Shields

39

Resources

41

Motor ideas and tutorials

41

Library Reference

42

class Adafruit_MotorShield;

42

Adafruit_MotorShield(uint8_t addr = 0x60);

42

void begin(uint16_t freq = 1600);

42

Adafruit_DCMotor *getMotor(uint8_t n);

43

Adafruit_StepperMotor *getStepper(uint16_t steps, uint8_t n);

43

void setPWM(uint8_t pin, uint16_t val); void setPin(uint8_t pin, boolean val);

43

class Adafruit_DCMotor

43

Adafruit_DCMotor(void);

44

void run(uint8_t);

44

void setSpeed(uint8_t);

44

class Adafruit_StepperMotor

45

Adafruit_StepperMotor(void);

45

void step(uint16_t steps, uint8_t dir, uint8_t style = SINGLE);

45

void setSpeed(uint16_t);

46

uint8_t onestep(uint8_t dir, uint8_t style);

46

void release(void);

46

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Overview

The original Adafruit Motorshield kit is one of our most beloved kits, which is why we
decided to make something even better. We have upgraded the shield kit to make the
bestest, easiest way to drive DC and Stepper motors. This shield will make quick work of
your next robotics project! We kept the ability to drive up to 4 DC motors or 2 stepper
motors, but added many improvements:
Instead of a L293D darlington driver, we now have the TB6612 MOSFET driver: with 1.2A
per channel and 3A peak current capability. It also has much lower voltage drops
across the motor so you get more torque out of your batteries, and there are built-in flyback
diodes as well.
Instead of using a latch and the Arduino's PWM pins, we have a fully-dedicated PWM
driver chip onboard. This chip handles all the motor and speed controls over I2C. Only two
pins (SDA & SCL) are required to drive the multiple motors, and since it's I2C you can also
connect any other I2C devices or shields to the same pins. This also makes it drop-in
compatible with any Arduino, such as the Uno, Leonardo, Due and Mega R3.

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Co mpletely stackable design: 5 address-select pins means up to 32 stackable shields:

that's 64 steppers or 128 DC motors! What on earth could you do with that many steppers? I
have no idea but if you come up with something send us a photo because that would be a
pretty glorious project.
Lots of other little improvements such as a polarity protection FET on the power pins and a
big prototyping area. And the shield is assembled and tested here at Adafruit so all you
have to do is solder on straight or stacking headers and the terminal blocks.
Lets check out these specs again:
2 co nnectio ns fo r 5V 'ho bby' servo s connected to the Arduino's high-resolution
dedicated timer - no jitter!
4 H-Bridges: TB6612 chipset provides 1.2A per bridge (3A peak) with thermal
shutdown protection, internal kickback protection diodes. Can run motors on 4.5VDC
to 13.5VDC.
Up to 4 bi-directio nal DC motors with individual 8-bit speed selection (so, about
0.5% resolution)
Up to 2 stepper mo to rs (unipolar or bipolar) with single coil, double coil,
interleaved or micro-stepping.
Motors automatically disabled on power-up
Big terminal block connectors to easily hook up wires (18-26AWG) and power
Arduino reset button brought up top
Polarity protected 2-pin terminal block and jumper to connect external power, for
separate logic/motor supplies
Tested compatible with Arduino UNO, Leonardo, ADK/Mega R3, Diecimila &
Duemilanove. Works with Due with 3.3v logic jumper. Works with Mega/ADK R2 and
earlier with 2 wire jumpers.
Download the easy-to-use Arduino software library, check out the examples and
you're ready to go!
5v or 3.3v compatible logic levels - jumper configurable.

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As of Arduino 1.5.6-r2 BETA, there is a bug in the Due Wire library that prevents
multiple Motor Shields from working properly with the Due!

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FAQ
How many motors can I use with this shield?
You can use 2 DC hobby servos that run on 5V and up to 4 DC motors or 2 stepper
motors (or 1 stepper and up to 2 DC motors) that run on 5-12VDC
Can I connect more motors?
Yes, by stacking shields! Every shield you stack on will add 4 DC motors or 2 stepper
motors (or 1 more stepper and 2 more DC motors).
You will not gain more servo connections as the servo contacts go to pin #9 and #10 on
the Arduino.
What if I also need some more servos?
Check out our lovely servo shield, also stackable with this motor shield and adds 16 freerunning servos per shield http://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-16-channel-pwm-slash-servoshield (http://adafru.it/ciQ)

What Arduinos is this shield compatible with?

It is tested to work with Duemilanove, Diecimila, Uno (all revisions), Leonardo and
Mega/ADK R3 and higher.
It can work with Mega R2 and lower if you solder a jumper wire from the shield's SDA pin
to Digital 20 and the SCL pin to Digital 21
For use with the Due or other 3.3v processors, you must configure the board for 3.3v
logic levels. Find the set of 3 pads labeled "Logic". Cut the small trace between the
center pad and 5v and add a jumper from 3.3v to the center.

As of Arduino 1.5.6-r2 BETA, there is a bug in the Due Wire library that prevents
multiple Motor Shields from working properly!

I get the following error trying to run the example code: "error: Adafruit_MotorShield.h: No
such file or directory...."
Make sure you have installed the Adafruit_MotorShield library
How do I install the library?
Check the tutorial page on the subject here http://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-motorshield-v2-for-arduino/install-software (http://adafru.it/ciO)

HELP! My motor doesnt work! - HELP! My motor doesnt work!...But the servos work FINE!
Is the power LED lit? The Stepper and DC motor connections will not work if the onboard
green Power LED is not lit brightly!

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You must connect 5-12VDC power to the shield through the POWER terminal blocks or
through the DC barrel jack on the Arduino and VIN jumper.

What is the green Power LED for?

The LED indicates the DC/Stepper mo to r po wer supply is wo rking. If it is not lit
brightly, then the DC/Stepper motors will not run. The servo ports are 5V powered and
does not use the DC motor supply
What pins are/are not used on the motor shield?
The shield uses the SDA and SCL i2c pins to control DC and stepper motors. On the
Arduino UNO these are also known as A4 and A5. On the Mega these are also known as
Digital 20 and 21. On the Leonardo these are also known as digital 2 and 3. Do not use
those pins on those Arduinos with this shield with anything other than an i2c sensor/driver.
Since the shield uses I2C to communicate, you can connect any other i2c sensor or driver
to the SDA/SCL pins as long as they do not use address 0x60 (the default address of the
shield)
If you want to use the servo connections, they are on pins #9 and #10. If you do not use
the connector then those pins are simply not used.
You can use any other pins for any other use
How can I connect to the unused pins?
All pins are broken out into 0.1" spaced header along the edges of the shield
My Arduino freaks out when the motors are running! Is the shield broken?
Motors take a lot of power, and can cause 'brownouts' that reset the Arduino. For that
reason the shield is designed for seperate (split) supplies - one for the electronics and
one for the motor. Doing this will prevent brownouts. Please read the user manual for
information about appropriate power supplies.
I'm trying to build this robot and it doesn't seem to run on a 9V battery....
You canno t power motors from a 9V battery. You must use AA batteries or a lead acid
battery for motors.
Can this shield control small 3V motors?
Not really, its meant for larger, 5V+ motors. It does not work for 3V motors unless you
overdrive them at 5V and then they will burn out faster
I have good solid power supplies, but the DC motors seem to 'cut out' or 'skip'.
Try soldering a ceramic or disc 0.1uF capacitor between the motor tabs (on the motor
itself!) this will reduce noise that could be feeding back into the circuit (thanks
macegr (http://adafru.it/clc)!)

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I'm using a 4WD robot platform and I can't get anything to work.
The motors used in the 4WD robot platforms from some distributors have a lot of "brush
noise". This feeds back into the Arduino circuitry and causes unstable operation. This
problem can be solved by soldering 3 noise suppression capacitors to the motor. 1
between the motor terminals, and one from each terminal to the motor casing.

But my motor already has a capacitor on it and it still doesn't work.

These motors generate a lot of brush noise and usually need the full 3-capacitor
treatment for adequate suppression.
Why don't you just design capacitors into the shield?
They would not be effective there. The noise must be suppressed at the source or the
motor leads will act like antennae and broadcast it to the rest of the system!
Why won't my stepper motor go any faster?
Since the shield is controlled by i2c, the maximum step rate is limited by the i2c bus
speed. The default bus speed is 100KHz and can be increased to 400KHz by editing the
library file in your Arduino installation folder. The file can be found in

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hardware/libraries/wire/utility/twi.h.
Find the line with: "#define TWI_FREQ 100000L"
and change it to "#define TWI_FREQ 400000L"
Or, you can add the following code to your setup() function:

TWBR = ((F_CPU /400000l) - 16) / 2; // Change the i2c clock to 400KHz

What I2C addresses are used by this shield?
The shield is addressable from 0x60-0x80. 0x70 is an "all call" address that all boards
will answer to.
My shield doesn't work with my LED backpack.
Some backpacks have a default address of 0x70. This is the "all call" address of the
controller chip on the motor shield. If you re-address your backpack, it will work with the
shield.

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Install Headers & Terminals

Installing Standard Headers

The shield comes with 0.1" standard header. Standard header does not permit stacking but
it is mechanically stronger and they're much less expensive too! If you want to stack a shield
on top, do not perform this step as it is not possible to uninstall the headers once soldered
in! Skip down to the bottom for the stacking tutorial

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Break apart the 0.1" header into 6, 8 and/or 10pin long pieces and slip the long ends into the
headers of your Arduino

Place the assembled shield on top of the

header-ed Arduino so that all of the short parts
of the header are sticking through the outer set
of pads

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Solder each one of the pins into the shield to

make a secure connection
Next, you will attach the terminal blocks, power
jumper and servo connections

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That's it! Now you can install the terminal blocks

and jumper...

Installing Terminal Blocks and more

After you have installed either normal or stacking headers, you must install the terminal
blocks.

Next we will install the terminal blocks. These

are how we will connect power and motors to
the shield. They're much easier to use than
soldering direct, just use a small screwdriver to
release/attach wires!
First, though, we must solder them in.
Slide the 3-pin terminal blocks into 2-pin
terminal blocks so that you have 2 x 5-pin and 1
x 2-pin blocks. The two 5-pin sets go on either
side. The 2-pin piece goes near the bottom of
the shield. Make sure that the open holes of the
terminal blocks face o ut!
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Flip the board over so that you can see &

solder the pins of the terminal blocks

Solder in the two pins of the external power

terminal-block

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Solder in both motor blocks, 5 pads each

That's it for the terminal blocks. Next up, servo

connections.

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OK next up take the 2x3 pin header and

place it with the short legs down into the top
corner where it says SERVO 1 and SERVO 2
You might have to sort of angle the part a little
to get it to fit into both sets of 3-pin holes. we
did this so it wont fall out easily when you turn it
over!

Then flip the board over and solder the 6 pins

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Finally, break off a 2-pin piece of header and

place it next to the POWER terminal block, short
legs down, tape it in place if necessary and
solder it in.

Installing with Stacking Headers

You will need to purchase Arduino stacking
headers for this step, the shield does not come
with them. (http://adafru.it/85)

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Start by sliding the 10 pin, 2 x 8 pin and 6-pin

stacking headers into the outer rows of the
shield from the top. Then flip the board over so
its resting on the four headers. Pull on the legs
if necessary to straighten them out.

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Tack one pin of each header, to get them set in

place before more soldering. If the headers go
crooked you can re-heat the one pin while repositioning to straighten them up

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Once you've tacked and straightened all the

headers, go back and solder the remaining pins
for each header.

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Install Software
To use the shield on an Arduino, you'll need to install the Adafruit Motorshield v2 library. This
library is no t co mpatible with the o lder AF_Mo to r library used for v1 shields.
However, if you have code for the older shield, adapting the code to use the new shield isn't
difficult. We had to change the interface a little to support shield stacking, & we think its
worth it!
Start by downloading the zip of the library from the Github repository (http://adafru.it/ciN).
You can also just click the button below

Download latest Adafruit Motor

Shield V2 Library
http://adafru.it/cBx
Copy the folder inside the zip file to the Libraries folder inside your Arduino Sketchbook
folder and re-name it to Adafruit_Motorshield
For more details on how to install Arduino libraries, check out our detailed
tutorial! (http://adafru.it/aYM)
If you plan to use .AccelStepper for acceleration control or for simultaneous control of
multiple stepper motors, you will also need to download and install the AccelStepper library:

AccelStepper Library
http://adafru.it/dh1

Running the Example Code

DC Motor
The library comes with a few examples to get you started up fast. We suggest getting
started with the DC motor example. You can use any DC motor that can be powered by 6V12VDC
First, restart the IDE to make sure the new library is loaded.
Plug the shield into the Arduino and connect a DC motor to mo to r po rt 1 - it does not
matter which wire goes into which terminal block as motors are bi-directional. Connect to the
top two terminal ports, do not connect to the middle pin (GND) See the photo below for the
red and blue wire example. Be sure to screw down the terminal blocks to make a good
connection!

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You must also supply 5-12VDC to power the motor. There are two ways to do this
1. You can power the Arduino via the DC Barrel Jack and insert the VIN Jumper
shown as the tall black handle right next to the green Power LED below
2. You can power the Arduino via the DC Barrel jack o r USB port. Then Power the shield
via the 5-12VDC motor power terminal port, the double terminal block next to the
green Power LED and remo ve the VIN jumper
If the Green LED isn't lit up brightless do no t co ntinue - you must power it via the VIN
jumper o r the terminal block

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Once you have verified the motor is connected properly and you have the power LED lit up
brightly, we can upload our code.
In the IDE, load File->Examples->Adafruit_Mo to rShield->DCMo to rTest
You should see and hear the DC motor turn on and move back and forth, attaching a slip of
paper or tape as a 'flag' can help you visualize the movement if you have trouble seeing the
movement

Stepper Motor Test

You can also test a stepper motor connection with the shield. The shield can run unipo lar
(5-wire and 6-wire) and bipo lar (4-wire) steppers. It cannot run steppers with any other #
of wires! The code is the same for unipolar or bipolar motors, the wiring is just slightly
different.
Plug the shield into the Arduino and connect a stepper motor to mo to r po rt 2 - unlike DC
motors, the wire order does 'matter'. Connect to the top two terminal ports (coil #1) and the
bottom two terminal ports (coil #2).

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If you have a bipolar motor, do not connect to the middle pin (GND).
If you are using a unipolar motor with 5 wires, connect the common wire to GND.
If you are using a unipolar motor with 6 wires, you can connect the two 'center coil
wires' together to GND

You must also supply 5-12VDC to power the motor. There are two ways to do this
1. You can power the Arduino via the DC Barrel Jack and insert the VIN Jumper
shown as the tall black handle right next to the green Power LED below
2. You can power the Arduino via the DC Barrel jack o r USB port. Then Power the shield
via the 5-12VDC motor power terminal port, the double terminal block next to the
green Power LED and remo ve the VIN jumper
If the Green LED isn't lit up brightless do no t co ntinue - you must power it via the VIN
jumper o r the terminal block

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Once you have verified the motor is connected properly and you have the power LED lit up
brightly, we can upload our code.
In the IDE, load File->Examples->Adafruit_Mo to rShield->StepperTest
You should see and hear the stepper motor turn on and move back and forth, attaching a
slip of paper or tape as a 'flag' can help you visualize the movement if you have trouble
seeing the movement. There are four ways to move a stepper, with varying speed, torque
and smoothness tradeoffs. This example code will demonstrate all four.

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Powering Motors
Motors need a lot of energy, especially cheap motors since they're less efficient.

Voltage requirements:
The first important thing to figure out what voltage the motor is going to use. If you're lucky
your motor came with some sort of specifications. Some small hobby motors are only
intended to run at 1.5V, but its just as common to have 6-12V motors. The motor controllers
on this shield are designed to run from 5V to 12V.
MOST 1.5-3V MOTORS WILL NOT WORK

Current requirements:
The second thing to figure out is how much current your motor will need. The motor driver
chips that come with the kit are designed to provide up to 1.2 A per motor, with 3A peak
current. Note that once you head towards 2A you'll probably want to put a heat-sink on the
motor driver, otherwise you will get thermal failure, possibly burning out the chip.
Yo u can't run mo to rs o ff o f a 9V battery so do n't waste yo ur time/batteries!
Use a big Lead Acid or NiMH battery pack. Its also very much suggested that you set up two
power supplies (split supply) one for the Arduino and one for the motors. 99% o f 'weird
mo to r pro blems' are due to noise on the power line from sharing power supplies and/or
not having a powerful enough supply! Even small DC motors can draw up to 3 Amps when
they stall.

Setting up your shield for powering Hobby Servos

Servo s are po wered o ff o f the same regulated 5V that the Arduino uses. This
is OK for the small hobby servos suggested. Basically, power up your Arduino with the USB
port or DC barrel jack and you're good to go. If you want something beefier, cut the trace
going to the optional servo power terminal and wire up your own 5-6V supply!

Setting up your shield for powering DC Motors

The DC motors are powered off of a 'high voltage supply' and NOT the regulated 5V. Do n't
co nnect the mo to r po wer supply to the Arduino 's 5V po wer pin. This is a very
very very bad idea unless you are sure you know what you're doing! You could damage your
Arduino and/or USB port!
There are two places you can get your motor 'high voltage supply' from.
1. One is the DC barrel jack on the Arduino board
2. The other is the 2-terminal block on the shield that is labeled DC Mo to r Po wer 5-

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12VDC.
The DC Jack on the Arduino has a protection diode so you won't be able to mess things up
too bad if you plug in the wrong kind of power. The terminal block as a protection FET so you
will not damage the arduino/shield if you wire up your battery supply backwards, but it wont
work either!
Here's how it works:

If you would like to have a single DC power supply for the

Arduino and motors
Say a wall adapter or a single battery pack with 6-12VDC output, simply plug it into the DC
jack on the Arduino or the 2-pin power terminal block on the shield. Place the power jumper
on the motor shield.
Note that you may have problems with Arduino resets if the battery supply is not able to
provide constant power, so it is not a suggested way of powering your motor project. You
cannot use a 9V battery for this, it must be 4 to 8 AA batteries or a single/double lead acid
battery pack.

If you would like to have the Arduino powered off of USB

and the motors powered off of a DC power supply
Plug in the USB cable. Then connect the motor supply to the power terminal block on the
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shield. Do not place the jumper on the shield.

This is a suggested method of powering your motor project as it has a split supply, one
power supply for logic, and one supply for motors

If you would like to have 2 separate DC power supplies

for the Arduino and motors.
Plug in the supply for the Arduino into the DC jack, and connect the motor supply to the
power terminal block. Make sure the jumper is removed from the motor shield.

No matter what, if yo u want to use the DC mo to r/Stepper system the mo to r

shield LED sho uld be lit indicating go o d mo to r po wer

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Using RC Servos

Hobby servos are the easiest way to get going with motor control. They have a 3-pin 0.1"
female header connection with +5V, ground and signal inputs. The motor shield simply
brings out the PWM output lines from Arduino pins 9 and 10 to two 3-pin headers so that its
easy to plug in and go. They can take a lot of power so a 9V battery wont last more than a
few minutes!
The nice thing about using the onboard PWM is that its very precise and goes about its
business in the background. You can use the built in Servo library
Using the servos is easy, please read the official Arduino documentation for how to use
them and see the example Servo sketches in the IDE (http://adafru.it/aOD).

Powering Servos
Po wer fo r the Servo s co mes fro m the Arduino 's o n-bo ard 5V regulato r,
po wered directly fro m the USB o r DC po wer jack o n the Arduino . If you need an
external supply, cut the 5v trace on the bottom of the board and connect a 5V or 6V DC
supply directly to the Opt Servo power input. Using an external supply is for advanced
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users as you can accidentally destroy the servos by connecting a power supply incorrectly!

When using external servo power, be careful not to let it short out against the USB
socket shell on the processor board. Insulate the top of the USB socket with some
electrical tape.

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Using DC Motors

DC motors are used for all sort of robotic projects.

The motor shield can drive up to 4 DC motors bi-directionally. That means they can be
driven forwards and backwards. The speed can also be varied at 0.5% increments using the
high-quality built in PWM. This means the speed is very smooth and won't vary!
Note that the H-bridge chip is not meant for driving continuous loads over 1.2A or motors
that peak over 3A, so this is for small motors. Check the datasheet for information about the
motor to verify its OK!

Connecting DC Motors
To connect a motor, simply solder two wires to the terminals and then connect them to
either the M1, M2, M3, or M4. Then follow these steps in your sketch

Include the required libraries

Make sure you #include the required libraries
#include <Wire.h>

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#include <Adafruit_Mo to rShield.h>

#include "utility/Adafruit_PWMServo Driver.h"

Create the Adafruit_MotorShield object

Adafruit_Mo to rShield AFMS = Adafruit_Mo to rShield();

Create the DC motor object

Request the Stepper motor from the Adafruit_MotorShield:
Adafruit_DCMo to r *myMo to r = AFMS.getMo to r(1);
with getMo to r(po rt#). Po rt# is which port it is connected to. If you're using M1 its 1, M2
use 2, M3 use 3 and M4 use 4

Connect to the Controller

In your setup() function, call 'begin()" on the Adafruit_MotorShield object:
AFMS.begin();

Set default speed

Set the speed of the motor using setSpeed(speed) where the speed ranges from 0
(stopped) to 255 (full speed). You can set the speed whenever you want.
myMo to r->setSpeed(100);

Run the motor

To run the motor, call run(direction) where direction is FORWARD, BACKWARD or
RELEASE. Of course, the Arduino doesn't actually know if the motor is 'forward' or
'backward', so if you want to change which way it thinks is forward, simply swap the two
wires from the motor to the shield.
myMo to r->run(FORWARD);

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Using Stepper Motors

Stepper motors are great for (semi-)precise control, perfect for many robot and CNC
projects. This motor shield supports up to 2 stepper motors. The library works identically for
bi-polar and uni-polar motors
For unipolar motors: to connect up the stepper, first figure out which pins connected to
which coil, and which pins are the center taps. If its a 5-wire motor then there will be 1 that is
the center tap for both coils. Theres plenty of tutorials online on how to reverse engineer the
coils pinout. (http://adafru.it/aOO) The center taps should both be connected together to the
GND terminal on the motor shield output block. then coil 1 should connect to one motor port
(say M1 or M3) and coil 2 should connect to the other motor port (M2 or M4).
For bipolar motors: its just like unipolar motors except theres no 5th wire to connect to
ground. The code is exactly the same.
Running a stepper is a little more intricate than running a DC motor but its still very easy

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Include the required libraries

Make sure you #include the required libraries
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_Mo to rShield.h>
#include "utility/Adafruit_PWMServo Driver.h"

Create the Adafruit_MotorShield object

Adafruit_Mo to rShield AFMS = Adafruit_Mo to rShield();

Create the stepper motor object

Request the Stepper motor from the Adafruit_MotorShield:
Adafruit_StepperMo to r *myMo to r = AFMS.getStepper(200, 2);
with getStepper(steps, stepper#). Steps indicates how many steps per revolution the
motor has. A 7.5degree/step motor has 360/7.5 = 48 steps. Stepper# is which port it is
connected to. If you're using M1 and M2, its port 1. If you're using M3 and M4 indicate port 2

Set default speed

Set the speed of the motor using setSpeed(rpm) where rpm is how many revolutions per
minute you want the stepper to turn.

Run the motor

Then every time you want the motor to move, call the step(#steps, directio n,
steptype) procedure. #steps is how many steps you'd like it to take. direction is either
FORWARD or BACKWARD and the step type is SINGLE, DOUBLE, INTERLEAVE or
MICROSTEP.
"Single" means single-coil activation
"Double" means 2 coils are activated at once (for higher torque)
"Interleave" means that it alternates between single and double to get twice the
resolution (but of course its half the speed).
"Microstepping" is a method where the coils are PWM'd to create smooth motion
between steps.
Theres tons of information about the pros and cons of these different stepping methods in
the resources page.
You can use whichever stepping method you want, changing it "on the fly" to as you may
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want minimum power, more torque, or more precision.

By default, the motor will 'hold' the position after its done stepping. If you want to release all
the coils, so that it can spin freely, call release()
The stepping commands are 'blocking' and will return once the steps have finished.
Because the stepping commands 'block' - you have to instruct the Stepper motors each
time you want them to move. If you want to have more of a 'background task' stepper
control, check out AccelStepper library (http://adafru.it/aOL) (install similarly to how you did
with Adafruit_MotorShield) which has some examples for controlling three steppers
simultaneously with varying acceleration

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Stacking Shields

One of the cool things about this shield design is that it is possible to stack shields. Every
shield you stack can control another 2 steppers or 4 DC motors (or a mix of the two)
You can stack up to 32 shields for a total of 64 steppers or 128 DC motors! Most people will
probably just stack two or maybe three but hey, you never know. (PS if you drive 64
steppers from one of these shields send us a photo, OK?)
Note that stacking shields does not increase the servo connections - those are hard-wired
to the Arduino digital 9 & 10 pins. If you need to control a lot of servos, you can use our 16channel servo shield and stack it with this shield to add a crazy large # of
servos. (http://adafru.it/1411)
Stacking shields is very easy. Each shield you want to stack on top of must have stacking
headers installed. Check our instructions for how to do so. (http://adafru.it/ciP) The top
shield does not have to have stacking headers unless you eventually want to put something
on top of it.

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The only thing to watch for when stacking shields is every shield must have a unique I2C
address. The default address is 0x60. You can adjust the address of the shields to range
from 0x60 to 0x80 for a total of 32 unique addresses.

Addressing the Shields

Each board in the chain must be assigned a unique address. This is done with the address
jumpers on the lower edge of the board. The I2C base address for each board is 0x60. The
binary address that you program with the address jumpers is added to the base I2C
address.
To program the address offset, use a drop of solder to bridge the corresponding address
jumper for each binary '1' in the address.
The right-most jumper is address bit #0, then to the left of that is address bit #1, etc up to
address bit #5

Board 0: Address = 0x60 Offset = binary 0000 (no jumpers required)

Board 1: Address = 0x61 Offset = binary 0001 (bridge A0 as in the photo above)
Board 2: Address = 0x62 Offset = binary 0010 (bridge A1, to the left of A0)
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Board 3: Address = 0x63 Offset = binary 0011 (bridge A0 & A1, two rightmost jumpers)
Board 4: Address = 0x64 Offset = binary 0100 (bridge A2, middle jumper)
etc.

Note that address 0x70 is the "all call" address for the controller chip on the shield. All
boards will respond to address 0x70 - regardless of the address jumper settings.

Writing Code for Multiple Shields

The Adafruit_MotorShield library has the ability to control multiple shields, unlike the older
AF_Motor library. First we must create a Motor Shield Controller for each shield, with the
assigned address.
Adafruit_MotorShield AFMSbot(0x61); // Rightmost jumper closed
Adafruit_MotorShield AFMStop(0x60); // Default address, no jumpers
One motor shield is going to be called AFMSbot (bottom shield, so we remember) and one is
AFMStop (top shield) so we can keep them apart. When you create the shield object,
specify the address you set for it above.
Then we can request the motors connected to each one
// On the top shield, connect two steppers, each with 200 steps
Adafruit_StepperMotor *myStepper2 = AFMStop.getStepper(200, 1);
Adafruit_StepperMotor *myStepper3 = AFMStop.getStepper(200, 2);
// On the bottom shield connect a stepper to port M3/M4 with 200 steps
Adafruit_StepperMotor *myStepper1 = AFMSbot.getStepper(200, 2);
// And a DC Motor to port M1
Adafruit_DCMotor *myMotor1 = AFMSbot.getMotor(1);
You can request a stepper or DC motor from any port, just be sure to use the right AFMS
controller object when you call getMo to r or getStepper!
Then, both shields must have begin called, before you use the motors connected
AFMSbot.begin(); // Start the bottom shield
AFMStop.begin(); // Start the top shield
You can try out this code for yourself by setting up two shields and running the File>Examples->Adafruit_Mo to rShield->StackingTest example

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Resources
Motor ideas and tutorials
Wikipedia has tons of information (http://adafru.it/aOF) on steppers
Jones on stepper motor types (http://adafru.it/aOH)
Jason on reverse engineering the stepper wire pinouts (http://adafru.it/aOI)

Schematic, click to embiggen

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Library Reference

class Adafruit_MotorShield;
The Adafruit_MotorShield class represents a motor shield and must be instantiated before
any DCMotors or StepperMotors can be used. You will need to declare one
Adafruit_MotorShield for each shield in your system.

Adafruit_MotorShield(uint8_t addr = 0x60);

The constructor takes one optional parameter to specify the i2c address of the shield. The
default address of the constructor (0x60) matches the default address of the boards as
shipped. If you have more than one shield in your system, each shield must have a unique
address.

void begin(uint16_t freq = 1600);

begin() must be called in setup() to initialize the shield. An optional frequency parameter can
be used to specify something other than the default maximum: 1.6KHz PWM frequency.

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Adafruit_DCMotor *getMotor(uint8_t n);

This function returns one of 4 pre-defined DC motor objects controlled by the shield. The
parameter specifies the associated motor channel: 1-4.

Adafruit_StepperMotor *getStepper(uint16_t steps, uint8_t n);

This function returns one of 2 pre-defined stepper motor objects controlled by the shield.
The first parameter specifies the number of steps per revolution.
The second parameter specifies the associated stepper channel: 1-2.

void setPWM(uint8_t pin, uint16_t val);

void setPin(uint8_t pin, boolean val);
These are low-level functions to control pins on the on-board PWM driver chip. These
functions are intended for internal use only.

class Adafruit_DCMotor
The Adafruit_DCMotor class represents a DC motor attached to the shield. You must declare
an Adafruit_DCMotor for each motor in your system.
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Adafruit_DCMotor(void);
The constructor takes no arguments. The motor object is typically initialized by assigning a
motor object retrieved from the shield class as below:
// Create the motor shield object with the default I2C address
Adafruit_MotorShield AFMS = Adafruit_MotorShield();
// Select which 'port' M1, M2, M3 or M4. In this case, M1
Adafruit_DCMotor *myMotor = AFMS.getMotor(1);
// You can also make another motor on port M2
Adafruit_DCMotor *myOtherMotor = AFMS.getMotor(2);

void run(uint8_t);
The run() function controls the motor state. The parameter can have one of 3 values:
FORWARD - Rotate in a forward direction
REVERSE - Rotate in the reverse direction
RELEASE - Stop rotation
Note that the "FORWARD" and "REVERSE" directions are arbitrary. If they do not match
the actual direction of your vehicle or robot, simple swap the motor leads.
Also note that "RELEASE" simply cuts power to the motor. It does not apply any braking.

void setSpeed(uint8_t);
The setSpeed() function controls the power level delivered to the motor. The speed
parameter is a value between 0 and 255.
Note that setSpeed just controls the power delivered to the motor. The actual speed of
the motor will depend on several factors, including: The motor, the power supply and the
load.

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class Adafruit_StepperMotor
The Adafruit_StepperMotor class represents a stepper motor attached to the shield. You
must declare an Adafruit_StepperMotor for each stepper motor in your system.

Adafruit_StepperMotor(void);
The constructor takes no arguments. The stepper motor is typically initialized by assigning a
stepper object retrieved from the shield as below:
// Create the motor shield object with the default I2C address
Adafruit_MotorShield AFMS = Adafruit_MotorShield();
// Connect a stepper motor with 200 steps per revolution (1.8 degree)
// to motor port #2 (M3 and M4)
Adafruit_StepperMotor *myMotor = AFMS.getStepper(200, 2);

void step(uint16_t steps, uint8_t dir, uint8_t style = SINGLE);

The step() function controls stepper motion.
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The first parameter specifies how many steps to move.

The second parameter specifies the direction: FORWARD or BACKWARD
The last parameter specifies the stepping style: SINGLE, DOUBLE, INTERLEAVED or
MICROSTEP
The ste() function is synchronous and does not return until all steps are complete. When
complete the motor remains powered to apply "holding torque" to maintain position.

void setSpeed(uint16_t);
The setSpeed() function controls the speed of the stepper motor rotation. Speed is
specified in RPM.

uint8_t onestep(uint8_t dir, uint8_t style);

The oneStep() function is a low-level internal function called by step(). But it can be useful to
call on its own to implement more advanced functions such as acceleration or coordinating
simultaneous movement of multiple stepper motors. The direction and style parameters are
the same as for step(), but onestep() steps exactly once.
Note: Calling step() with a step count of 1 is not the same as calling onestep(). The step
function has a delay based on the speed set in setSpeed(). onestep() has no delay.

void release(void);
The release() function removes all power from the motor. Call this function to reduce power
requirements if holding torque is not required to maintain position.

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Last Updated: 2015-01-16 06:30:14 AM EST

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