how would we hook that up since currently our ground is running to the battery. It would really help if u could send us something like a schematic of how the wiring is supposed to be done so dont mess it up again. Thanks
Here is an image of our setup. If you also know the greatest amount of current we can run through our circuit board that would be helpful.
ok is there any specific battery on your website that you would recommend
how much would one of those batteries be running at for cost when they become available because i am still very upset that I am stuck with this 6v 2800mah battery that you recommended to me that would work on my robotic arm
If you are curious about when you recommended it it is under robotshop.com/forum/showthread.php?1850-Question-about-M100RAK-Robot-Arm
And if you could please hurry and respond I really need this information as quickly as possible
Thanks
We have added no additional items for extra weight. We currently are using a 6 volt 2800 mah battery to run through a circuit board and into the servos of the robot arm. What do I mean by using a 10A computer power supply
How was my circuit shorting it out
If you mean the Playstation 5A servo motor controller (RB-Ima-34), you should only be using that board for the signals and the fact that it can connect to a PS2 controller. You should be powering the servos separately (i.e. the board would not be powering the servos - they would be powered directly from the battery). To do so, you would need to know which pin is the signal pin on the board, then use #22 wire to split the 6V and GND lines from the battery to each of the servo’s red and black wires (i.e. don’t connect all three of the servo’s pins to the board). This often has to be done for larger, more powerful servos. If you wanted to use just the one battery, you would also need to split the power to the barrel connector as well.
We removed the link to the battery and added some clarification. We apologize once again for any inconvenience.
If you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to ask.
Can you provide an image (or drawing) of the setup so we can see how everything is connected?
We should be getting a 6V, 10Ah NiMh battery soon - it should be live within the next few days under NiMh batteries.
The other option is to go with a 6V, 10Ah (or more) lead acid battery pack purchased locally - they can discharge at high current, but they can be heavy.
The 6V 2800mAh arm can should have been suggested for the AL5 arm, but not the M100RAK. You could use several of these batteries to run the M100RAK, but it’s certainly not ideal. If you can provide an invoice number for the battery, we can look into a return / exchange. The product code for the 6V, 10Ah battery is RB-Hpr-07 and the price will be ~$48 USD. If you purchased another 6V NiMh charger, it should still work, as the connector will be the same.
To confirm, you are using a 6V, 2800mAh (NiMh) battery to power the M100RAK? If this is the case, it’s important to note that the stall current for each servo is 1800mA, for a combined 7.2A under maximum load (closer to a few amps when operating under normal conditions).
A 6V 2800mAh NiMh battery can only discharge at 1C, so maximum continuous discharge is 2.8A. Therefore the battery you chose is enough for two of these servo motors, but certainly not for four. This explains why the arm is shutting down and why gears may be stripping. If you want to use a battery pack to power the arm, you would need to change to a 6V, 10Ah battery pack, or purchase an additional two batteries to be able to provide 6V at 8.4A.
The suggested power supply if you are using the arm on a table would be the same one used in a computer - there is a 5V line which can provide 20-30A output which is more than enough to power the arm.
The AL5 (which is a much smaller arm) should be able to operate off a 6V, 2800mAh battery.
Does that help?
What power supply are you using? The M100RAK requires at least a 10A power supply, ideally more. We suggest a 20A computer power supply.
Second, what additional parts have you added to the arm, where are they placed and how much do they weight?
We assume you are using the power supply which comes with the arm? If not, you need to ensure that the power supply is between 4.8V to 6V and can supply at least 2A (preferably 3A).
Second question is the same - have you added any items to the arm and if so, how much do they weigh and where on the arm are they located? The AL5A is only supposed to be able to pick up ~4oz (113g).
We await your reply,
Hobby servos can only accept between 4.8V to 6V. Higher than 6V reduces their life span. You should be using the 6V, 2800mAh battery with this arm.
All your black wires are connected to the same battery (-) terminal that we call motor GND. You do not need to split them all, just one connection form the motor GND to the three-pin header GND.
Once again, We believe it will be more beneficial and accurate if you make a diagram of your system that we will be glad to review. There are many online tools that can help you do so, or you could even use a pen and a paper.
If you connect the motor battery GND to the signal GND (three-pin header on the board) using another wire, that should be enough.
Perhaps, prior to doing any connections, you can make a diagram of your connection and we can help you figure out if it is correct or not. Making a diagram is very beneficial when doing a project since it helps you better visualize what you are doing.
Also, for future reference, please note it is possible to remove the wires from the female headers without cutting them by simply lifting the plastic tab that hold them in.
What you are missing is connecting the servo battery GND to the board signal GND. As you have them now, the servo control signal (yellow) is floating with respect to the servo supply.
You have lines (which we can suppose are wires) connecting all three pins in a connector row. Perhaps we did not read your schematic correctly.
So are you saying we need to take each black wire and split it so it goes both to the servo and to the circuit board pin?
And is there anyway you could also include a diagram that would be a lot of help.