The DRV8837 is a small H-bridge driver for one brushed DC motor with up to 1.8 A drive current, a 0 to 11 V motor supply and a separate 1.8 to 7 V logic supply. The DRV8838 in the same family swaps the PWM inputs for a phase and enable interface. It is the compact, low-voltage choice below the DRV8833 and DRV8871. Figures are from the Texas Instruments DRV883x datasheet SLVSBA4F.
Key specifications
| Drive current | 1.8 A max |
|---|---|
| Motor supply VM | 0–11 V |
| Logic supply VCC | 1.8–7 V |
| RDS(on) | 280 mΩ HS + LS |
| Sleep | 120 nA max |
| Package | 8-pin WSON 2×2 mm |
What the datasheet promises
| Item | Datasheet value |
|---|---|
| Drive current | 1.8 A maximum |
| Motor supply (VM) | 0 to 11 V |
| Logic supply (VCC) | 1.8 to 7 V |
| On-resistance | 280 mΩ, high side plus low side |
| Interface | DRV8837: PWM with IN1 and IN2; DRV8838: PH and EN |
| Sleep current | 120 nA maximum, via the nSLEEP pin |
| Protection | VCC undervoltage lockout, overcurrent, short-circuit and thermal shutdown |
| Package | 8-pin WSON with thermal pad, 2.0 × 2.0 mm |
The 1.8 A is the maximum drive current; what the chip can sustain depends on the board’s copper and the supply voltage, so read the thermal section of the datasheet. A small package suits a small robot, not a hand-wired one: most people use it on a ready-made breakout.
Using it on a robot
- Use it for small gear motors and toys that run from a one- or two-cell battery, with the motor supply and the logic supply tied together or separate.
- Put nSLEEP low when the robot is idle to cut the supply current.
- Add a bulk capacitor near VM to catch motor current spikes.
Sources and further reading
- Texas Instruments DRV8837 and DRV8838 datasheet (SLVSBA4F) — currents, supply ranges, on-resistance, sleep current and protection above.
Last reviewed: November 2026. Limits are from the Texas Instruments datasheet; breakout boards and modules vary. No price is quoted because it has not been checked.
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