I am currently building a hobby-weight robot (5.44kg) and will be using 2 x 14.4v cordless drill brushed motors to drive my wheels.
I have read somewhere that due to "induced currents" when I turn the motor off (or reverse it presumably?) I should protect it by using a diode or a capacitor across the terminals.
Which should I use (capacitor or diode) and what are the parameters I need to consider for these components (voltage or current)?
Some answers to a similar question discussed capacitors but not diodes. Are diodes relevant?
Would I seriously damage the cordless drill (presumably quite tough) motor if I did nothing?
And don't motor controllers have any form of inbuilt protection for the motors anyway?