Using a switch to make a motor go backwards, forwards and stop

In this video tutorial we show how to use a toggle switch with three positions to be able to change the direction of a DC motor.

Written instructions:

In this tutorial, we’re going to use a toggle switch that has three positions in it, in order to make a dc motor run forwards and backwards.

When you’re buying the switch, make sure it says “on off on”.

We will hook our switch to this geared dc motor, but you can use any dc motor you like.

Here’s a quick animation on how the wires are attached.

Begin by connecting the opposite corners together like this.

Next you can take the positive wire from the power source and connect it to a pin in the middle. Do the same for the negative wire.

Finally take the positive wire from the motor and connect it to a corner pin with a positive wire. Then take the negative wire from the motor and connect it to the corner pin with the negative wire.

Here’s how the connections look on video.

We can now use the switch to drive the motor both backwards and forwards. The center position stops it.

Thanks for watching and see you next time on OneMinuteVideoTutorials.com.