I just picked up a couple of these L298N motor driver modules on Amazon for a project I’m working on, mostly because they’re dirt cheap. They’re commonly available from everywhere, so I assume it’s just a design that’s floating around Shenzen. Unfortunately, there’s no documentation anywhere for them. Fortunately, they’re super simple. They claim to operate from 7 to 20 volts, to give the onboard linear regulator for the logic supply rail (5V) headroom. However, the output supply voltage runs anywhere from ~5V to 46V, and that 7-20 limitation is because of the linear regulator (at 5V, the regulator dropout voltage means the output is too low to run the driver, and at 46V, the 7805 used burns up). Conveniently, that unlabeled jumper connects the 7805 input to the V+ rail. Remove it and supply 5V externally, and you can run whatever motor supply voltage you like without being limited by the 7805.
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