so in another thread [Help with parts for airsoft tank project] Help with parts for airsoft tank project - #14 by tanked)
i was recommended to use a sabertooth2x12 RC regenerative motor drive by dimension engineering it was working well till 2 days ago when it suddenly decided to pop the fuse I placed in the line i looked it over and put new fuses in 4-5 times and still no success so i am wondering if i need to send it for repairs or replacement and if so who to contact.
thanks,
tanked
i forgot to mention that i it works of the 5V from the rc receiver but the 12V input is the portion is the portion bugered when i posted this i also mad 3 calls to dimension engineering and they didn’t answer nor have they responded to my voice mail
Tanked
Hello @tanked!
Here’s some info provided by Dimension Engineering:
If this is more of a hobby project instead of an industrial product, most people do not use fuses. The Sabertooth has built-in current limiting.
We prefer that you fuse the motors rather than the battery leads, or if for safety reasons you need to fuse the battery that you do it at a much higher current than the motors. The reason is this:
Because Sabertooth is a regenerative driver, it relies on having a battery to put regenerated energy back into when you command a stop (and at other times). If you draw enough power to blow a battery fuse, all of a sudden the Sabertooth has nowhere to put the energy. It will see the fault, though, and try to stop the motor. It doesn’t, however, have anywhere to put the energy (the mechanical energy of the vehicle and the electrical energy carried in the windings and the caps). So blowing a battery fuse will sometimes kill the driver – which we would replace under warranty, but it’s still annoying for all parties.
The better way to do it is to fuse the motor leads. If a motor fuse blows, the motor will freewheel, the Sabertooth will sit there contentedly, and the only thing you will have to replace is the fuse.
That’s probably what happened to your motor controller.
If you’d like I can re-assing this ticket to RMA so they can help you
1 Like
@geraldinebc15
thanks i was able to get through to them finally and that was about the gist of what the lady said i will send it down next week to get assessed and repaired. the reason i had a fuse in was the same line was running to the Arduino so i didn’t want to kill it the fuse will be moving after the split now so the problem hopefully wont reoccur
Tanked
2 Likes