I want to order a rb-lyn-850 but im wondering what power source i need for it could you include the product number for it as well. Thanks
Hi,
The power source really depends on three things:
- The minimum recommended voltage for the SSC-32U [RB-Lyn-850]. The SSC-32U would need 6 V DC or more to be powered properly (on VS1).
- The minimum voltage required will also depend on the motors you are using. Most RC-type servomotors required 4.8-6.0 V DC. Some do support up-to 7.2 V DC, too. If you have those, you could use a higher voltage.
- Finally, your power source must be able to provide adequate current for your servomotors.
If you want a wall adapter, you can have a look here. For our stationary platforms (like the AL5 robotic arms), we recommend the RB-Hap-01 (6 V DC, 5 A power supply).
Alternatively, you can also use a battery pack, such as [RB-Sta-13], [RB-Sta-08] or [RB-Sta-10]. You can browse more NiMH battery packs here. You may also be interested in LiPo battery packs. You can find those here.
You may also want to get a switch for your power source, such as RB-Onl-12 (Tamiya connector) or RB-Onl-13 (barrel connector).
We hope this helps.
Sincerely,
I am using this board to run my monster guts skull with 3 axis movement and jaw movement and 2 axis eye movement. Im new to all this so i need a little help to get this running… I am running it with vsa on my laprop.
Well, if it is a stationary setup and you can use AC, we recommend using a power supply, such as the RB-Hap-01 mentioned above. It is powerful enough to drive a few servomotors.
What specifications your power source needs to meet really depends on your setup/use case. Start by identifying all of your servomotors and their current rating (idle, continuous, stall) and the voltage they require.
Please note that with the SSC-32U [Rb-Lyn-850] you can also remove the VS1=VS2 jumpers (next to the screw terminals) and use two different power sources, such as a 6 V DC power source on VS1 and a 7.2 V DC power source on VS2 for powering motors with different requirements. You can also do this for simply providing more power, such as using two power sources: one for VS1 and another for VS2.
Ok i found out that the board needs to be powered and they use hi-tec servos 3@hs485hb and 1@ 225bb and 2@hs55 they all are 4.8/6.0v. so ill need the power source for the board to run them. So which power source do you suggest to run all 6 servos plus sound and a led dimmer switch using the rb-lyn-850 control board on vsa software. Please include the ac and the dc versions seeing as i havent decided if i want it either way. Im so thankful for your site. i am taking the lessons and they are really helping me alot to understand all this. But i am still a newby and still need alittle guidence. So thank you for all your help
And that being said i may be running 5 of these skulls so that could mean up to 30 servos on that board.
Hi,
That is good, useful information about your setup!
The HS-485HB has a rated current when holding a position of ~200 mA @ 6 V DC (with no load). The HS-255 is rated for ~340 mA, same conditions. Finally, the HS-55 is reported to have a current of ~180 mA.
This would make the total current about 1120 mA with no load. Of course, when used with a load the current may be quite higher. For example, the stall current (when the motor is stalled) for a HS-485HB is reported as ~1200 mA.
Now the tricky part is estimating the current that will be used when/if all the servomotors move at the same time. In reality, it should never be as much as the total stall current of all the motors, but it will certainly be more than the no load current, too. A quick estimation/calculation reveals that your worst case scenario (all stalled) would be in the range of ~6500 mA (or 6.5 A). Therefore, you should be fine using one RB-Hap-01 (5 A 6 V DC power supply) for one skull without any issues or one of the batteries mentioned before (do check their maximum discharge rate, but it should be fine for more battery packs). You should try and check what current is required for the sound and LEDs, too.
Of course, there is a second tricky part! Since you wish to run 5 of these skulls, you will quickly realize that you will need more current than one power supply can provide. The first step would be to divide the servomotors on VS1 and VS2 and use two power supplies (make sure to remove the VS1=VS2 jumpers). This should provide enough power from one SSC-32U for 2 skulls. Please also note that the screw terminals/traces on the SSC-32U can only accommodate a certain amount of power, too. Therefore, we do not recommend using it with more than 6 A @ 6 V DC (per side, VS1 and VS2, so 12 A total with two separate power sources) if the use is continuous.
Since you may need more than 6 A of current for 5 skulls, you may do one of the following:
- One skull per side on 2 SSC-32U and spread the 5th one over the 4 sides (VS1s and VS2s). Should work, depending on simultaneous/total current draw.
- Same as above, but get a third SSC-32U to power the remaining skull / extra electronics (sound, LEDs, etc.).
- Do it with just one SSC-32U, but wire power directly to the servomotors, skipping the SSC-32U. The last point is certainly the most cost effective, but be careful to not mis-wire anything. You will need to make sure the signal wire of each servomotor reaches the proper SSC-32U channel signal pin and also the ground wire to ground pin (for proper electrical connection). You will also need to wire each of their VCC & GND wires to your power source.
We hope this info helps you out.
Sincerely,
Your amazing thank you so much. I acually understood all of that. So i will have to power each skull on its own. To make thing less complicated. Thank you sooo much
Glad to help! Learning through practicing/trying things out with robotics projects is key. Our goal is to help you to do that without the magic smoke! 
Side-note: we have not tried multiple SSC-32Us with VSA, but since it can control multiple outputs, that should not be an issue.