L293D Dual H-Bridge DC Motor Driver

Drive two small DC motors forward, reverse, brake and coast — the canonical H-bridge IC every robotics beginner meets first.

Difficulty: Breadboard. Estimated build time: about 50 minutes. Estimated parts cost: about US$9.50. 6-part bill of materials with live supplier pricing. A bidirectional motor controller built around the L293D — a 16-pin DIP that contains four half-H-bridges, configurable as two full H-bridges.