Asked
— Edited
I have repositioned the Hbridge from inside the body to the outside for better cooling. I notice the cup holder area getting quite warm after running Roli around on the floor. The external mounted Hbridge now can radiate more effectively.
Add some extra length to the motor wires with the same or larger gauge. The other wires to ezb4 are already long enough.
Be very careful not to touch the Hbridge fins as they get very hot and will burn the skin.
Wow, your rolli will be very warm. Do you use it in continuous operation? I noticed the rolli in the tracking mode becomes too warm. I do not use it automatically. Tracking I use only for head. An H-Bridge has exploded in tracking. Without tracking I can use Rolli 8 - 10 hours. He also does not get warm. My Rolli has a 4500mah Lipo battery
I use Roli with the original battery and am working on a an obstruction avoidance script, so he is running around a lot. Battery lasts about:30 min.
Hbridge fins get hot almost immediately.
That doesn't sound right. The heat sink shouldn't get hot enough to burn you. It shouldn't get hot immediately. You may have a bad solder joint, faulty regulator or other issue. Have you checked the output voltage to your motor or input voltage from the power supply?
I don't have much input from other Roli users but my experience has been a very hot running Hbridge. The work I'm doing involves lots of starts and stops, which may contribute to a higher current draw. Motors seem to be in good running condition and do not get hot. Not checked voltage or current draw on the motors.
@robojack, little off topic, is that Daniels field in your picture?
Edited by o correct spelling and complete my thought.
Pic is KLS.