I would like to know the best and wisest method to power 26 servo motors. I want them to work at 6V and taking into account the stall current of a max of 2A per motor.
So I found in the clearance page that I could get 26 wall adapters for dirt cheap, but then I would have to buy many power bars and that would not be pretty for my project.
I considered a big power supply but can’t find one for these specs. Some doesn’t go as low as 6V. Some other doesn’t give more than 5A.
As a practical matter, the servos aren’t usually going to draw the full stall current. If they did, they would burn out pretty quick. I would measure how much current one takes with a “normal” load and multiply that by the number of servos. Add about 10% to 20% for a buffer, and call it a day. Also, since the servos don’t draw much power when they aren’t actually turning (or forcibly holding a position) then it is rather unlikely they will all be drawing even that measured current at the same time. You can always get a current limited power supply, too, just to be safe.
As an estimate I would say around 500mA would be a normal load when operating.
Also, one other thing to consider. An older AT or ATX power supply that provides most of the power at 5V might work. Most servos are intended to work from 4.8 to 6V and 5V will usually be fine. Many of those older supplies could provide something like 30 or 40 amps at 5V – which would probably be plenty. They also have lots of protection built in and are really cheap.
I suggest you to take a look at the rated current for your servos, as you wouldn’t usually want to use them at stall current.
If you really don’t wanna take any chance and cover the stall current with the power supplies, then we do not have anything in our catalog for this.
The idea of an older computer power supply isn’t bad, a lot of them do have most of their power on 5V.
That’s great infos,
I didn’t started my project yet, so I was planning everything but as said, I will need to measure the current draw to have the right picture.
I have some old PC PSU around. It’s a great idea, thank you!
