BillDerwent
United Kingdom
Asked
— Edited
Hi, EzBers!
So, my first thread is going to be one of the ones I imagine every asks about. I think I'm happy with the answers I found via the forums, but I'm not exactly a boffin in these areas. Give me java, sql or even pascal and I'm happy as a kitten in my wifes b... Erm. Anywho...
So, I'm looking at one of my early additional purchases being a rechargable battery pack of some sort. The kind we'd find in a good RC car. As I understand, I'm looking at a 5-17v, though from what I've read, ~7v is my best bet?
Is this a suitable kind of thing: LinkyLinky
Thanks for any input.. I've got a little wait until my EzB arrives, but it doesn't hurt to find out in the meantime :D
- Bill.
that works fine, mine runs on 4 each 2000mAh, the higher the mAh the longer it will last. that's the only difference. that's also why i put 4 in. you can see it in the thread; got the thumper up and running.
Thanks a bang-load for that, Raybot.. I was half-confident about it, but not 100%. By the same account, I'm assuming you could (If you needed to) run the system of a 12v automobile battery? Provided it's giving out the range required?
I use a 2S 7.4v 5000mAh LiPo (plans to upgrade to 4 of them giving 20000mAh - enough to run at least a whole day before needing to be charged). LiPos are great power to weight and size, much better than sealed lead acids, and I believe are better than NiMh too but LiPo can be dangerous if misused and there are a lot of paranoid people claiming they can burn your house down (they can, but only if not used properly).
A 12v auto battery would work too, in fact, any source between 5 & 17v will work, 7v is perfect for EZB, if running motors you may want to look at the voltage for those if planning to tap off of the same battery. If having an on board PC the 12v is an idea and then use an automobile PC charger to power it...
The thing to think about is how much space is available, how much weight can the robot manage and how long do you want the robot to run before needing to be charged.
Holy Monkey Fingers.. 20,000mAh.. My mind boggles at the thought. Never thought of being able to run something for such a long time between charges. Infact, a lot of my brain-time is spent thinking about ways to automate charge-station docking etc.
So far as what I need power wise at this point, frankly, I haven't the foggiest. I've dabbled (Read: Broke an RC car) in this sorta thing, but my mind is a blank canvas right now. I love the mars Rover type robot someone on here has put together, and I'm thinking along those lines for now.... I think.
Automated docking/charging is on my to-do list too but at this stage all I have are ideas. My robot is to run 24/7 though. Charging that much with my current charger would take a very long time though! (1 battery took 7 to 8 hours to charge).
Adding more capacity is easy in the future anyway, simply add another battery in parallel, or two. So at this stage you'll be fine picking up just 1 battery, getting the robot built and then you will see how long it lasts on the one battery, if it's not long enough just throw in another, or two more.