This is the SmartDrive Duo-30 motor driver which is capable of controlling BIG motors - up to 35V, 30A (Peak 80A ~1 second)!
The driver can also accept RC (Radio Control) signals to drive two DC brushed motors in independent or mixed-mode - perfect for combat robots.
The SmartDrive Duo-30 can accept control signals from:
- RC (Radio Control)
- PWM of a connected microcontroller
- Analog voltage of Potentiometer/Variable Resistor/Joystick
- UART data of a connected microcontroller

The operation mode is determined by the configuration on the onboard DIP switch, please refer to the User Manual for detailed settings. To allow RC control, Cytron has added a 2x3 header pin for use with the included 2 x RC extension cables - by default the SmartDrive Duo-30 is configured in RC controller and Mixed control mode.
With its wide operating voltage range, you can even series-up two sealed lead-acid (SLA) batteries to power your motor as it supports up to 35VDC input! The driver you requires one power input to operate the motor and driver. 3-cell and 6-cell Li-po batteries are also within the operating voltage, and even includes a low voltage warning.
Features
- Bi-directional control for dual brushed DC motors
- Support motor voltages from 7V to 35VDC
- Maximum current up to 80A peak (1 second), 30A continuous, per channel
- Onboard MOSFETs are switched at 18 kHz for quiet operation
- Regenerative Braking
- Onboard Error LEDs to indicate: (each channel)
- Input Error (Blinks 2 times)
- Under Voltage Warning (Blinks 3 times)
- Over Voltage Protection (Blinks 4 times)
- Over Temperature Protection (Blinks 5 times)
- Thermal protection
- Current limit protection
- Multiple input modes:
- RC (Radio Control)
- Analogue voltage from potentiometer/variable resistor/joystick
- PWM and DIR (sign-magnitude and locked-antiphase) from a microcontroller
- Serial Simplified or Serial Packetized from a microcontroller
- Grove compatible connectors for control input
- RC (Radio Control) friendly connectors
- Onboard push buttons for fast test and manual operation
- Onboard LED indicators for Error, RUN, Over-current, motor output, per channel
- NO POLARITY PROTECTION FOR V MOTOR
- Dimension: 81.28mm(W) x 101.60mm (L) x 42mm (H)
Package Contents
- 1 x SmartDrive Duo-30 Motor Driver
- 2 x Grove 4-pin buckled 20cm cables
- 2 x 2561 3-way connector extension wire
Motor Compatability
The motor must be:
- A DC Brushed motor (Two Terminals)
- Operating voltage from 7V to 35VDC
- Rated Current ≤ 30A
- Peak Current ≤ 80A
Resources
Specifications
- Compatible input: 3.3 and 5V
- Motor Channel: 2
- Operating Voltage (VDC): 7 to 35
-
Peak Current (A): 80
- Continuous Current (A): 30
- PWM (Lock-Antiphase and Sign-Magnitude): YES
- UART: YES
- Analogue: YES
- RC Servo Signal: YES
- Polarity Protection: NO
- Current / Thermal Protection: YES
- LEDs Indicator: YES
- Test/Manual Button: YES
- Groove Compatible: YES
Note
- Since Rev 1.2 the 2x3 header pins for RC input has been changed from horizontal to vertical. This is an effort to strengthen the header pins from being peeled off.
- The latest revision is Rev 1.3 which fixes a potential problem in RC mode. In some cases, the motors might jerk when operating in RC mode. If you do encounter this problem, please contact us at [email protected].
- There is no polarity protection for V motor