Motor Labs

In these labs we learned how transistors can be used to allow you to control a circuit that is carrying a higher current and voltage from the microcontroller and how an H-bridge can be used to switch the direction of a current that is flowing through a circuit.  An H-bridge is actually made up of several transistors aswell.  Here is a video demonstrating how the H-bridge allows for a change in dirrection of current as well as how the H-bridge acts as a transistor by allowing control of the circuit while it is carrying higher current and voltage from our power source.

 

We did have one minor issue while attempting to complete this lab.  On our first trial nothing would work.  At that point I decided I'd feel what I thought to be the H-bridge to make sure it was not heating up.  After almost burning my finger off I realized something must be wrong.  We checked the diagram, made sure everything was in the right place, switched wires away but nothing seemed to work.  At that point we realized that what we thought was a H-bridge was actually a shift register.  After a quick switch we had our circuit running.