DC motors rotate when current is applied and are commonly used in a wide variety of applications from robot wheels to cooling fans. In this example we'll learn how to turn a motor on and off, and then use PWM to control the motor speed.

• Sparkfun Inventors Kit for LabVIEW Setup

• Sparkfun RedBoard
• 1x DC Motor
• 1x NPN transistor
• 1x 330 Ohm Resistor
• 1x Diode 1N4148

• LabVIEW
• NI-VISA
• LINX

• Open the LINX - Digital Write 1 Channel example from the LabVIEW Example Finder.
  
  
• Select the DO channel connected to the transistor.
  
  
• Run the VI, and toggle the motor on and off using the LED control on the VI front panel.
  
  
• Modify the VI to use PWM to control the motor speed.

• Use the pressure sensor as an accelerator to control the DC motor speed.
  
  
• Use the DC motor as a fan and automatically set the fan speed based on temperature.