1. 9V path for motor power
   • 9V + → L298N / L289N motor driver VS / motor supply
   • 9V - → GND
   • Motors connect to the motor driver outputs, not directly to 9V.
2. Regulated path for ESP32
   • 9V + → LM2596 / buck converter IN+
   • 9V - → LM2596 IN-
   • Adjust LM2596 output to 5V or 3.3V depending on your ESP32 board
   • LM2596 OUT+ → ESP32 5V/VIN pin if set to 5V, or ESP32 3V3 pin only if set exactly to 3.3V
   • LM2596 OUT- → ESP32 GND
3. Common ground is required
   • 9V battery/cable GND
   • L298N GND
   • LM2596 GND
   • ESP32 GND
     must all be connected together.

Text
9V + ───────┬──────── L298N VS / +12V motor supply
            │
            └──────── LM2596 IN+

9V - ───────┬──────── L298N GND
            ├──────── LM2596 IN-
            └──────── ESP32 GND

LM2596 OUT+ ───────── ESP32 VIN / 5V   if buck set to 5V
LM2596 OUT- ───────── ESP32 GND

L298N OUT1/OUT2 ───── Motor A
L298N OUT3/OUT4 ───── Motor B

ESP32 GPIOs ───────── L298N IN1, IN2, IN3, IN4
ESP32 PWM GPIOs ───── L298N ENA, ENB

• If you mean L298N, it has a big voltage drop, so motors may see much less than 9V under load.
• Do not power the ESP32 directly from 9V.
• If your LM2596 is set to 5V, connect it to ESP32 VIN/5V, not 3V3.
• If your LM2596 is set to 3.3V, connect it to ESP32 3V3, but adjust it carefully with a multimeter first.
• Remove the L298N onboard 5V regulator jumper unless you fully understand that module’s regulator wiring. Safer: power ESP32 from the LM2596 only.
• Add a large capacitor near the motor driver supply, for example 470 µF to 1000 µF, rated 16V or higher, across 9V and GND to reduce motor noise resets.