How Do I Wire a PA Feedback Actuator to an Arduino?
A complete wiring guide for connecting both motor control and position feedback of a PA actuator to an Arduino, covering component selection, pin assignments, and common mistakes to avoid.
What You Need
1. PA Feedback Actuator
PA-14P or PA-04-HS
Potentiometer or Hall effect model. Select based on required accuracy and whether you need FLTCON compatibility.
2. Motor Driver
L298N or IBT-2
L298N handles up to 2 A (fine for PA-12/PA-14 light load). IBT-2 handles 43 A peak — use for PA-17 or heavy loads on larger models.
3. Arduino
Uno / Mega / Nano
Needs: 1 analog pin (pot) OR 1 interrupt pin (Hall), 2 digital out pins for direction, 1 PWM pin for speed. Uno is sufficient for single-actuator projects.
Wiring Summary (Potentiometer Actuator)
| From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PSU 12 V + | L298N Vs (motor power) | Use 12 V or 24 V matching actuator spec |
| PSU GND | L298N GND + Arduino GND | All grounds must be common |
| Arduino 5 V | L298N Vss (logic power) | Logic supply for driver IC |
| Arduino pin 4 | L298N IN1 | Direction control A |
| Arduino pin 5 | L298N IN2 | Direction control B |
| Arduino pin 6 (PWM) | L298N ENA | Speed control via PWM |
| L298N OUT1 | Actuator Red (motor +) | Motor power output |
| L298N OUT2 | Actuator Black (motor –) | Motor power output |
| Arduino 5 V | Actuator Green (pot Vcc) | Potentiometer supply — separate trace from motor power |
| Arduino A0 | Actuator White (pot signal) | Analog position feedback |
| Arduino GND | Actuator Yellow (pot GND) | Common ground |
⚠️ Separate motor and signal grounds physically Route motor power wires away from signal wires. Use separate wires for the pot GND and motor GND even though they connect to the same Arduino GND pin — don't share a single wire through both paths.
Quick Test Sequence
1. Test pot signal before motor power
Power Arduino only (no 12 V to motor). Manually push the actuator rod in and out by hand — Serial Monitor should show changing ADC values. If values don't change, recheck pot wiring.
2. Test motor direction at slow speed
Apply 12 V, set PWM to 80/255 (about 30% speed). Test extend and retract at slow speed before full speed. Verify rod moves in the expected direction — swap OUT1/OUT2 if reversed.
3. Verify feedback tracks motion
Run the motor at slow speed while watching Serial Monitor. ADC values should change smoothly and consistently in one direction as the rod extends, and in the other as it retracts.