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You are here: Home / Motor Controller / Operating a DC Motor Clockwise/Anticlockwise with a Single Switch

Operating a DC Motor Clockwise/Anticlockwise with a Single Switch

Last Updated on July 19, 2022 by Swagatam 15 Comments

caution electricity can be dangerous

The following post discusses the wiring connections for driving a DC motor in clockwise and anticlockwise directions with the help of a single toggle switch and a relay circuit. The idea was requested by one the interested followers of this blog. Let's learn more:

Technical Specifications

We have our project in school.

Our professor asks us to design a transistor together with a relay that allows a motor to rotate clockwise and then , a switch will be press , then will rotate counter-clockwise.

In other words a single switch should be able to control the reverse forward rotation of the motor.

Thanks in advance.

The Design

A DC motor can be very simply rotated both ways in clockwise as well as in anticlockwise directions by flipping the supply inputs to it.

However the above reversing requires flipping of both of its wire polarity with the connected supply.
Therefore it cannot be done by using a single relay or switch.

However by using a couple of relays, a single switch operation becomes feasible for toggling the connected DC motor in both reverse and forward directions.

The following circuit shows the wiring details of the relay with the motor which is controlled by a transistor driver stage.

On switching power ON, the motor starts rotating in either clockwise or anticlockwise direction depending upon the wire polarity of the motor.

When SW1 is pressed, the direction gets instantly reversed and continues until S1 is switched OFF.

Actually the transistor stage is not required here, the implementation could be done simply with the relays and SW1.
More simply, the whole reverse forward operation can be conducted using an ordinary single DPDT toggle switch.

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About Swagatam

I am an electronic engineer (dipIETE ), hobbyist, inventor, schematic/PCB designer, manufacturer. I am also the founder of the website: https://www.homemade-circuits.com/, where I love sharing my innovative circuit ideas and tutorials.
If you have any circuit related query, you may interact through comments, I'll be most happy to help!

Reader Interactions

Comments

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  1. Warren Orman says

    January 1, 2020

    I’m looking to buy a counter clockwise motor 60 rpm 110volt synchronous motor to turn a polarized disc but it needs to go in the counter clockwise position. What do I ask for and or buy from? Thanks,

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 2, 2020

      Sorry, we don’t sell assembled circuits.

      Reply
  2. Pavan says

    September 3, 2018

    pls guide which relay make use for clockwise and anticlockwise for single phase motor(230V).
    its very urgent

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 3, 2018

      sorry, I am not sure how an AC motor may be rotated in both directions.

      Reply
  3. Kousik Singha says

    September 24, 2016

    Hii sir, please help me how i can make automatic rain sensing wiper motor control using 555 timer ic

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 25, 2016

      Hi Kousik, you can refer to the following article

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2012/09/rain-triggered-instant-start-windshield.html

      Reply
  4. Swagatam says

    September 21, 2016

    it's for protecting the transistor from relay coil back EMF

    Reply
  5. MAnoj Cracked says

    September 21, 2016

    Can you please tell me where to connect those relays … I mean are they directly connected to 12v DC supply…??

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 21, 2016

      yes both the relay coils are connected between +12V and the transistor collector

      Reply
      • Camilius says

        November 28, 2022

        Sorry, is there anyway to attend a short course for me to learn how to make a device that use both clockwise and unti-clockwise?

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          November 28, 2022

          The circuit explained above can be used to operate the motor in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.

          Reply
  6. Jordy Brusselman says

    June 10, 2016

    Ooh god you dont need to approve my previous message. I was on the wrong page. I thought I was on the buying page. Sorry for the trouble :p

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 10, 2016

      No problems!

      Reply
  7. Jordy Brusselman says

    June 10, 2016

    Hello i'm a real noob when it comes to electronics :p Can this motor go counterclockwise to iff I use a DPDT switch? I need a mini motor for a cosplay project so it can spin both clock and counterclockwise.

    Reply
    • Michael Murray says

      March 29, 2022

      How to change rotation on my evaporator fan motor 12 volts dc 220ma three wire

      Reply

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