Motor Driver Circuit

​

Overview

In this tutorial, we’ll create a motor driver circuit using the TB6612FNG motor driver IC. This circuit can be used to control DC motors with PWM capability and direction control.

​

Creating the Circuit

Open snippets.tscircuit.com and create a new snippet.

First, let’s import our motor driver component (Using the import dialog at the top) and set up the basic structure:

import { useMotorDriver } from "@tsci/imrishabh18.TB6612FNG"

export default () => {
  const MotorDriver = useMotorDriver("M1")

  return (
    <board width="30mm" height="30mm">
      <MotorDriver />
    </board>
  )
}

​

Adding Pin Headers

We’ll add two 8-pin headers for connecting our control signals and power:

<pinheader
  name="JP1"
  pinCount={8}
  pcbX={-9}
  pcbRotation={90}
  schX={-4}
  footprint="pinrow8"
/>
<pinheader
  name="JP2"
  pinCount={8}
  pcbX={9}
  pcbRotation={90}
  schX={4}
  schRotation={180}
  footprint="pinrow8"
/>

​

Adding Decoupling Capacitors

Decoupling capacitors are essential for stable operation. We’ll add three 0.1μF capacitors:

<capacitor
  name="C1"
  capacitance="0.1uF"
  pcbX={-7}
  pcbY={8}
  pcbRotation={90}
  schX={-2.5}
  schY={3}
  footprint="0402"
  symbolName="capacitor_vert"
/>
<capacitor
  name="C3"
  capacitance="0.1uF"
  pcbX={-5}
  pcbY={8}
  pcbRotation={90}
  schX={-1}
  schY={3}
  footprint="0402"
  symbolName="capacitor_vert"
/>
<capacitor
  name="C2"
  capacitance="0.1uF"
  pcbX={5}
  pcbY={8}
  pcbRotation={90}
  schX={2.5}
  schY={3}
  footprint="0402"
  symbolName="capacitor_vert"
/>

​

Connecting Everything Together

Now we’ll add all the traces to connect our components:

// Power connections
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin8" to=".C1 > .neg" />
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin8" to=".C3 > .neg" />
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin8" to=".M1 > .pin24" />
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin7" to="net.VCC" />
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin6" to="net.GND1" />

// Control signals
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin5" to=".M1 > .pin1" />
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin4" to=".M1 > .pin5" />
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin3" to=".M1 > .pin7" />
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin2" to=".M1 > .pin11" />
<trace from=".JP1 > .pin1" to="net.GND2" />

// Motor outputs
<trace from=".JP2 > .pin7" to=".M1 > .pin15" />
<trace from=".JP2 > .pin6" to=".M1 > .pin16" />
<trace from=".JP2 > .pin5" to=".M1 > .pin17" />
<trace from=".JP2 > .pin4" to=".M1 > .pin19" />

​

Pin Functions

The TB6612FNG motor driver pins are arranged as follows:

• Power pins:

  • VCC: Logic power supply
  • VM: Motor power supply
  • GND: Ground connections

• Control pins:

  • PWMA/PWMB: PWM control inputs
  • AIN1/AIN2/BIN1/BIN2: Direction control inputs
  • STBY: Standby control

• Output pins:

  • A01/A02: Motor A outputs
  • B01/B02: Motor B outputs

​

Testing Your Circuit

Click “Run” to see your circuit. You can switch between different views:

Switch to the PCB view to see the physical layout:

And check the 3D view to preview the final board:

​

Exporting Your Design

You can export your design in various formats:

• Gerber files for PCB manufacturing
• KiCad format for further editing
• STEP files for mechanical design

Click the “Export” button and choose your desired format.

​

Next Steps

Try modifying the design:

• Add LED indicators for motor direction
• Include power supply filtering
• Add motor protection diodes
• Experiment with different board layouts

Remember to save your snippet if you want to share it or use it in other projects!