Hi there, I need some advice here. I have a project to build a 6WD Wild Thumper like this: optional switch over RC and a Ardurover (an Ardupilot modified code for rovers).
First of all, I want to build the RC Wild Thumper, later I'll put the ardupilot to make it autonomous. So my first questions are about battery. I'm gonna buy a 34:1 6WD WT, and a Wild Thumper controller board both from sparkfun. Also, I'm gonna buy the RC from HobbyKing, and, since it's kinda hard to get supplies here in Brazil, I wanna buy the batteries and charger from Hobbyking aswell.
So, I read a lot about "7.2v sub-c batteries", but couldn't find those expressions on Hobbyking, I want some advice on what battery and charger to buy or the maximum dimensions for them to fit on the Wild Thumper. Thanks a lot
Another question: is this high switch necessary? What for? Thanks and sorry for any English mistakes.
Oddbot will be able to give you a better answer, but I’d personally go with li-po(s) unless you are dedicated to using the onboard charger. I think being 6WD and running a uC and various sensors outdoors (rough terrain will give your motors a workout), you will want the extra current available. As for the maximun battery size, I found this drawing on the Sparkfun page you were talking about:
I don’t know how much current those motors draw under “normal” load (guessing 2-3A since they’re 5.5A stall), but generally more mAh you can afford the longer you can run. Say they are 2A, a 2000mAh battery should give you about 10 mins with 6 motors running full-throttle. If you do go the li-po route, any 2S should work to power the motors directly.
I am pretty sure that sub-c batteries are just the standard batteries that are found in RC battery packs. If I am correct, they are usually NiMH or NiCad packs.
