Bman
Australia
Asked
I recieved my Ez-B 4 and camera. I am planning to build a robot starting with the head. As the Ez-b and camera did not come with a power source ( completly my fault for not looking first) I understand I can use the lipo battery which is all good once im finished building everything As is had the bottom power part for the Ez-b with a round power connect, Can I use a power plug from the wall rather then the lipo battery?
Ive added all the specs of the power cable below
input: 100-240v 50/60Hz 0.5a output 12v-------1.0A.12w
Being able to power the EZ-B via the wall socket will be much more suitible as im thinking I will be spending alot of time playing with all the options in synthium
Related Hardware EZ-B v4
no if you are using ez robot servo's.they are 7.4 volts.
The Support menu option will give you a great Getting Started which includes power options.
Here’s a good resource as well: https://synthiam.com/Search/Power%20supply
Nomad is correct. However there's a little more to it than that. The converter you mentioned sounds like a "Wall Wart". It will only let you pull 1 amp then it will choke and your robot will brown out. It also probably delivers the wrong voltage needed for your servos and other devices.
Two things you need to consider; Voltage and amp draw.
Voltage: Research and find out how much and what kind of voltage all your devices and motors require. Usually devices in a robot will need anywhere from 3.5 to 24 volts "DC". Sensors and lights would need the lower voltages and motors/servos would may need higher voltages.
Amps: Research and find out how much each of your devices require and then how much your motors/servos require in a stall. A stall is when a motor is physically stopped and trying to move. This situation will draw the most amps (hopefully that will never happen. It's a bad thing). Add them all up and that will be what your amp draw is. Once you know this add about 25% or more for overhead to know your known amp draw.
Once you know all of the above info you are ready to find a AC to DC voltage converter that will power your robot. Buy one that matches the AC power you are plugging into at the wall of your house for your "Input" voltage. The "Output" voltage will be in DC voltage. Get a converter with the highest DC voltage you will need. This will supply voltage the device with the highest voltage requirement. For the devices with lower requirements you would use a DC to DC voltage Buck converter that will drop the voltage to the other devices with a lower requirement. This buck converter also needs to follow the Amp guidelines I stated above.
The main AC to DC voltage converter you get also needs to be rated for your known amp draw plus the 25% over head you figured above.
Two more things; *You also need to size your wires and connectors to the above specs. If they are not big enough to handle the amp load you will get heat and starve your devices. Heat will melt things and could melt or damage your robot and it's devices. *Properly sized fuses at the start of your electrical circuits will save your devices and motors. Shorts and overloads will blow the fuse hopefully before any damage occurs. Follow the steps you used to find your amp draw on a circuit to properly size a fuse.
Have fun!!!!!!!