[Al Skierkiewicz]

Ryan,
This is really a much more simple project than what you have been thinking. Your motors are only going to run in one direction and then only need to be controlled for speed. In brushed motors, it is a simple matter to control the drive current to control speed. A simple amplifier is all that is required. Either a transistor or MOSFET can be used. It is also possible to control the speed by controlling the on time of the transistor which is also easy to accomplish with a micro-controller doing all the control. The transistor then becomes a simple switch turned on and off by the controller. MOSFETs are usually the device of choice since they have a much lower "on" resistance and therefore are more efficient. No caps are needed in this case. Usually a simple resistor and the transistor are all that are needed. The three terminal regulators (7805) are available in small packages (TO92) to supply the controller. And they are very cheap.