Robot Captain Ann Droid

rryerson, Robot Doc had an option (custom build) for a HD IRobot battery.

irobot58, thank you for positive comments. I wish I could be faster in my progress!

Thank you for all the response, did everyone see questions on the previous page? Steve S

My current project runs off one 7.2 battery to EZB3. My first test to update my robot to external power was to try running my robot EZB3 off 2 x 7.2voltage NiCad batteries in series. I believe EZB3 can handle up to 17 volts?
I realized strange results ( head and arms cranked into a curl), after connecting. I tried it twice with similar results. I have not connected the 8-40 volt to 5 voltage converter to the servos yet. I wanted to see how the EZB3 would handle the higher voltage. I am charging both 7.2 batteries and will re-test later. Maybe I realized these results because the batteries were not equally charged? If I have the same results after recharge, Would it be bad to power EZB3 off of one of 7.2 volt batteries still in series, and the servos off the 14.4 voltage of having the 2 7.2 batteries in series? Thank you, Steve S

Update, I realized the same results when attempting to power EZB3 from my two 7.2 volt NiCd batteries in series after recharging. After connection, all servos jittered and jumped, head and arms cranked into a curl? My voltmeter showed 15.27 into EZB. My IRobot Create operated ok receiving serial commands from EZB. Then my next test went surprisingly favorable, powering EZB with 5 volts (meter showed 5.08) from my two 7.2 batteries into my new 10 amp voltage converter (8-40 volt to 5 volt ). Not only did the EZB operate well on the 5 volts, it successfully powered all ten of my robots servos with two of them being 1/4 scale servos in the shoulders. It is the first time I could operate both arms at the same time (4 D.O.F. each), including new hands. The robot operated great for over 2 hours. I still plan to use servo extensions to power the arm servos directly from the 5 volt converter, instead of plugging everything into EZB. I will only have the white signal wires plugged into EZB. The servo extensions will have all the + and - supplied directly from the 5 volt converter. The ground will already be tied to the EZB. I am very happy with results so far. Steve S

Awesome Steve! Very curious as to why the EZB reacted weird with 15.27 volts and perfectly with 5 volts ...anyways sounds like its progressing!

That's great news Steve. And thanks for sharing. Will there be a video coming soon? I'd really like to see that action

Irobot58, Thanks Glen. If I experience any issue powering EZB at 5 volts (minimum listed in the manual), maybe I can crank it up to 7.2 with a buck regulator to the EZB only? I was happy that I can now operate my robots hands for the first time.

Antron007, Yes I will do a new video, after I complete the external power to the arm servos. Maybe I will realize more improvement? I am trying decide whether to build aluminum thumbs or make plastic pads that the hands will close to? Thanks for the responses, Steve S

Update, My latest test was adding external power to 4 of the arm servos (two 1/4 scale shoulder and two bicep) using servo extension wires connecting all + and - to 5 volt convertor and white signal wires to EZB. The results were not favorable, arms operated but were very jumpy, jittered, and looked very robotic. I am not sure if the servo extension wires were heavy enough? The arms did not curl up like they did when I tried running EZB from two 7.2 packs in series. I removed the extensions and replaced the shoulder and bicep servo plugs back into the EZB directly, and they operated fine. Here is an updated video of the arms and new hands operating directly off of the EZB. For now I plan just to run things like this.

I have a short video of the unfavorable results with the servo extensions, but not posting it for now. Thank You, Steve S

myerson I conected two 7.2 volt Lipo packs in series to run an iRobot Create as well as an R2 Roomba. I also have 4400 mAH LI-ion packs for the R3 Roomba and the Scooba 450.