Students and hobbyists all over the world utilise both L293D and L298N motor drivers in diverse projects. However, there are situations when you must choose the one that is best suited to your project application. There’s also a lot of confusion about the differences between L293D and L298N. So, in this article, we’ll go over some of the main differences between the L293D and L298N motor drivers.
A motor driver designed as an integrated circuit chip basically used to control motors in autonomous robots. Motor drivers function as an interface between Arduino and the motors. The L293 and L298 series, such as the L293D, L293NE, and L298N, are the most often used motor driver ICs. These ICs are intended to control two DC motors at the same time. H-bridge is used in both motor drivers. The H-bridge is the most basic circuit for controlling a motor with a low current rating. Let’s move on to the main topic, which is the difference between L293 and L298 motor drivers, as well as their applications.
L293D MOTOR DRIVER
L293D Motor Driver is one of the most commonly used motor driver IC’s in the electronics system. L293D motor driver defined as a 16 pin, monolithic integrated, high power driver for driving DC motor. These are designed as a dual H bridge motor driver capable of driving a pair of DC motors or a single stepper motor. It uses the popular L293 motor driver IC. Hence, It can drive 4 DC motors on and off, or drive 2 DC motors with direction and speed control independently. The H-bridge is the most basic circuit for controlling a motor with a low current rating. It can drive up to two motors independently, making it perfect for developing two-wheel robot platforms.
L293D is the optimum choice for motors with an operating voltage less than 36V and an operational current less than 600mA that will be controlled by digital circuits like as Op-Amps, 555 timers, digital gates, or even Micron rollers such as Arduino, PIC, ARM, and others. It has a total DC current of up to 600mA and can drive motors up to 12V.
Features of the L293D Motor Driver Module:
- Wide Supply-Voltage Range: 4.5 V to 36 V
- Separate Input-Logic Supply
- Internal ESD Protection
- High-Noise-Immunity Inputs
- Output Current 600 mA Per Channel
- Peak Output Current 1.2 A Per Channel
- Output Clamp Diodes for Inductive Transient Suppression
- Operation Temperature 0°C to 70°C.
- Automatic thermal shutdown is available
- Available in 16 pin DIP, TSSOP, SOIC package
L298N MOTOR DRIVER
L298N motor driver is a 15 pin high power driver for driving DC and stepper motor. And thus cost a little bit more than L293D. Protective diodes for the protection against back EMFs are connected externally. It also consists of a heat sink as it has a high current/voltage rating (operating temperature is between 0oC to 130oC).For driving motors in both directions, L298N uses a dual H bridge circuit. This module can operate between 5V to 46V and can supply current up to 1.2A for a single channel. And thus consumes high power (25 W).
It can drive DC motor voltage between 5V and 35V, with a peak current of 2A. L298 module made by ST Company offers a strong driving ability, low calorific value, and strong anti-interference ability. This module also functions to control the direction indication, power indication, current detection. It is suitable for robotics and mechatronics applications, also for connection of microcontroller requiring a couple of control lines. Using the screw terminals by 3 pins with 3.5mm pitch powers the module.
Features of the L298N Motor Driver Module
- Driver model: L298N 2A
- Driver chip: Double H bridge L298N
- Operating supply voltage up to 46 V
- Total DC current up to 4 A. 2A per channel
- Low saturation voltage
- Overtemperature protection
- Logical input voltage up to 1.5 V
- High noise immunity
- Can be interfaced with simple manual switches, TTL logic gates, relays, etc.
Major difference Between L293D and L298N Motor Driver:
| Sl.No | Property | L298N | L293D |
| 1. | Logical Voltage | 4.5V~7V | 4.5V~5.5V |
| 2. | Drive Voltage | 5V-46V | 4.5V-36V |
| 3. | Logical Current | 0-36mA | 1.2A |
| 4. | Max. Continuous Output Current | 2A | 600mA |
| 5. | Max power | 25W | – |
| 6. | Dimension | 44 x 44 x 28 mm | 70x54x18 mm |
| 7. | Weight | 26gm | 35gm |
| 8. | Efficiency | 30–70% | 50–90% |
| 9. | Fast direction switching | Heating | Less Heating |
| 10. | Breadboard friendly (IC) | NO | YES |
- L293D drivers operate between 4.5 and 36 volts, while L298N drivers can operate up to 46 volts.
- The L293D Motor Driver can draw up to 600mA from both channels, whereas the L298N Motor Driver can draw up to 2A from both channels.
- L293 is a quadruple motor driver that employs a half-H driver, but L298 is a dual full-H driver, i.e. in L293 all four input-output lines are independent, however in L298 only a full H driver can be utilised.
- L293 output current per channel is 650mA, whereas L298 output current is 2A. As a result, heat sinks are included in L298 motor drivers.
- Small current drawing motors such as BO motors, DC geared motors up to 500 RPM, and small stepper motors that draw less current up to 600mA at their greatest torque rating are all suitable for the L293D. The L298N, on the other hand, offers a greater output current of up to 2A, making it ideal for high torque and high RPM motors such as Johnson motors and high torque DC Geared motors.
Conclusion:
I hope all of you understand the difference between L293D and L298N Motor Driver. So depending upon your project requirement choose the perfect motor driver.