The L298N needs a 5V supply, either from external or from a regulator on the board. There is an external 5V supply in your wiring sketch on the left side, so be sure the jumper on the module is in 'off' or removed.
It would also be possible to get the 5V for the L298N from the RPi 5V pin. Would remove the need of a 12V down to 5V regulator from the motor batteries. Another option is to use the motor board internal regulator (but check the specs. Found some sources which claim that up to 15V motor voltage should be ok for the regulator. And fully charged batteries are close to this limit).
As already proposed you should start small.
Ground wires could be an issue for the full installation. Keep motor power ground wires short with a sufficiently large cross-section. Connect RPi GND, PCA board GND to a single point in the power GND connections. Goal is not to have motor current flow through signal GND path, as this causes voltage offsets which could cause errors.
For the full installation, motor interference suppression is important. Look in the net how to do this.
It would also be possible to get the 5V for the L298N from the RPi 5V pin. Would remove the need of a 12V down to 5V regulator from the motor batteries. Another option is to use the motor board internal regulator (but check the specs. Found some sources which claim that up to 15V motor voltage should be ok for the regulator. And fully charged batteries are close to this limit).
As already proposed you should start small.
Ground wires could be an issue for the full installation. Keep motor power ground wires short with a sufficiently large cross-section. Connect RPi GND, PCA board GND to a single point in the power GND connections. Goal is not to have motor current flow through signal GND path, as this causes voltage offsets which could cause errors.
For the full installation, motor interference suppression is important. Look in the net how to do this.
Statistics: Posted by ghp — Sat Feb 14, 2026 6:35 am