Beginner looking to operate a linear actuator (12VDC, unsure of amps) with cell via 3g service area, via SMS, only battery power available, only using few times a year. I’am in Saskatchewan with Sasktel.
Can I connect the following three items?
a. Cytron 13A, 5-30V Single DC Motor Controller
b. Micro 3G/GSM Shield for Arduino & Raspberry Pi - No GSM (Na Only)
i. Quad band cellular antenna SMA, via uFL to SMA connector? appropriate?
. Arduino Uno R3 USB Microcontroller
Do I need an Extension Shield to connect b. to c.?
Plan on powering the actuator with 12VDC battery. Is it best power the Arduino, and shield together with a separate LiPo battery?
Require a Sim Card for the 3G Shield. Can it operate with SMS only, or does it require a Data plan? Had hoped for a pay as you go for SMS, as opposed to a Monthly bill for a Data plan.
Is this all an appropriate plan? Originally was going to use a relay in place of the Motor Controller, but most I could find were 10A at best I believe.
The items you listed seem to be compatible to work together. Also, please verify if your 12V linear actuator doesn’t draw more than 13Amps under load. It is most likely that it won’t consume that much of current but it is always better to not take any chance.
It is strongly recommended to have separate power supplies for the motor/actuator part and the logic/control part. This is mainly to avoid B-EMF from the actuator’s DC Motor having voltage peaks on the controller’s (Arduino and shield) power line causing intermittent resets.
This plan should work but it will require some advanced Arduino programming skills to integrate the motor controller and the GSM shield into the system. It is better to use an H-Bridge type controller like the Cytron 13A, 5-30V Single DC Motor Controller to be able to control the actuator in both directions and speed.
Hope this helps,
