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Canada
Asked — Edited
Resolved Resolved by DJ Sures!

Running Ezb From Electrical Outlet?.

Sorry if this in the wrong section.
I am building an animatronic dragon. It does not move around it just moves parts like neck, eyes, wings and tail.
I was wondering if it is possible to run the EZB from an electrical?. One reason I ask is because I am already getting error messages from the EZB saying it needs more power, also I will be taking this dragon to local schools where it will be running all day and I really don't want to have to buy tones of batteries.


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#1  
110v power supply converter in the shop/order. Its under the accessories tab.
United Kingdom
#2  
Yes. I run my EZ-B from an old router PSU however it is only 2A max which isn't good for heavy duty stuff.

That said, you can convert an old computer PSU for various voltages, including 12v which should serve OK. The current will depend on the PSU used but a large PSU, 1000w or so should be more than enough (however are expensive since standard ones are around 300w).

Josh has provided a few tutorials on how to convert one for use outside of a PC, if you go through his tutorials and showcase you will come across them.

Failing that, find yourself a 5A PSU, probably best to look for a battery charger of some kind since these are usually high amperage.

@Technopro, where is the bench power supply? I don't see it in the store... do you have a link?
#3  
it was on there....as of yesterday I think.....I purchased one a while back....works well..

one thing I did notice is, the heat sinks get way hot when using the power supply.....but when I switch to the 7.2v battery the heat sinks are good.
USA
#4  
@Rich
The bench power supply was removed as our supplier was no longer able to get them. There are many substitutes on Amazon, eBay etc. We are working on finding a new one....
#6  
I used a 12v power pack I had laying around and the dragon didn't glitch or freeze it worked great!. BUT! I noticed some areas of the EZB getting very hot, and when I say very hot I mean I couldn't touch them for more then a second!. I quickly unplugged the EZB as I was worried about burning something out on it. Any advice.
Here is what type of power cord I was using.
input:100-240v-1-A max 30-40VA, 50-60Hz
Output: +12V---1.5A
Output Power: 18W MAX

I was looking at buying this power pack. Will this be ok or will it heat the board up aswell?. How much heat can the board take?.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-12-Volt-DC-Power-Supply-5-Amp-5A-12V-Adapter-LCD-CB-/280869637201?pt=Laptop_Adapters_Chargers&hash=item4165228c51
PRO
Synthiam
#7  
What do you have connected to the EZ-B? It is normal to get warm, and it can get very hot.. but that is depending on the amount of current draw. If it gets super hot, then i'd need to know what you have connected. Sounds like you may be drawing too much current from the EZ-B

The specs of the transformer you listed are very low. Being that it's only 1.5A, you are really pushing it's limits. For sure get a 5amp power supply and you'll be happy as a clam:) Why are clams so happy anyway? *shrug*
#8  
LOL, thanks.
Here is what I have set up at the moment.
3 servos that came with the EZB.
1 of these SM-S4315M 15kg/0.17sec High Torque Metal Gear servo For RC Car Boat Robot
and 1 of these Micro 9g Mini RC servo for Trex 450 Futaba Hitec HS-55 Align GWS JR Walkera Heli

I am hoping to be able to all of the above and another EZ servo and 2 more of the micros.




#9  
Well, to hot to touch seems like way too hot. I have had one ezb heat up under full load but it didn't get so hot I could not touch it without getting burnt. However I did have one heat up to where I could NOT touch it once when I had a short in the wiring to one of the servos. Check all your wiring again and make sure you don't have something connected to the wrong thing. As DJ says you could also be overloading the board but I'd think it would brown out when that would happen.

On my current B9 Robot I'm using several 12vdc, 10 amp AC - DC converters and have plenty of power for a fully loaded board. I use them to power my EZB's and for external power for all my DC motors and a heavy duty servo. I have very little being powered straight from the EZB's. Maybe you should consider feeding your motors from your external power supply and take the load away from EZB. Let EZB do the controlling and the power supply do what it does best. You can get step down voltage regulators to adjust power feeds to the needs of your motors.
PRO
USA
#10  
@ Familyman , looks like you got some awesome suggestions from the community! That should put you in the right direction. Do you mind marking the thread as answered? Thanks in advance ! - Josh
#11  
oops sorry, yeah I should of done that. Consider it done.
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