Hello people,
Below are the problems i encountered when I’m testing my arm. I would appreciate if someone can help me resolve these problems.
I set the neutral position of the shoulder servo at its 90 degree (upright). However, when it reaches around 60 degree or 130 degree position, it loses control and drop to the ground. Is it possible that the shoulder servo is not able to withstand the load / weight of elbow to the gripper?
FYI: I’ve already installed the springs.
When all servos are connected to the powered on SSC32, there is this sound coming out from the servos. Most of the time its came from the shoulder and elbow. It is like the sound of current flowing through. What may be the cause of this problem?
When I’m using RIOS, the program does not read all the servos. All the parts can operate, but not at every try. Meaning to say… i can’t get all servos to move in one session. I have to exit the program, reconnect the servos to other ports, then only two or three other parts can move, but not all of them.
As I use Lynxterm, some servos can only move when i changed the connections to other ports after many tries.
I am a greenhorn in the field of electrical and electronics, so please pardon me if you think any of the above questions are stupid to you. I am learning while working on this project. hahaha
This sound is normal. It’s a digital servo and can whine when operating.
Question 1, 2, and 4 are all the same problem. Remove the jumper VS1 = VL and install a 9vdc battery to the VL terminal. This will prevent the servo controller from resetting when your servos draw a lot of current.
I probably can not answer all of your questions as while I have an AL5D, it is connected to my Rover and controlled by an Atom Pro without an SSC-32, but I will give it a shot.
What is your power source for the arm? Mine handles this without any problems. But I also have a spring (actually 2 connected end to end to relieve some weight.
The Shoulder and elbow servos are the larger servos and they are digital. Yes they make lots of noise…
3.4. - Have not used rios and lynxterm is not part of my configuration as BAP controlling. But again I still wonder about power. Are you using a battery or a wall wart? Are you using one power source or do you have seperate power for VS/VL. If you are using one power source, have you tried using a 9V batter for the VL and removing the VS/VL jumper? Personally that would be the first thing I would look at.
Kurt
P.S. - We are all learning and hopefully having fun
Oh. i connected the VL to a 9V battery and VS1 to a power adapter which i switched it to 6V. No change even when i switched the power adapter to the maximum - 12V.
I wouldn’t use it switched for 12vdc. Servos are rated for 6vdc. But I suspect your power adapter has insufficient power for the servos. What is the current rating for it?
You mean the current rating of power adapter when its running at 6V? Can tell me the range of the correct/suitable current rating? I can only check that out in school tomorrow as i do not have an ammeter.
The current the power pack needs to be able to provide is 2.0amps or more. The only adjustable power packs I have seen are like 300mA and will never work for the arm.
wow… never work as in cannot even move or having difficulty in moving. Currently my servos are able to move at quite a fast speed. Just that I have those problems mentioned earlier.
I mean it will never work trouble free. As in without the problems you are seeing. It’s ok, you have already mentioned you are a green horn, I’m simply stating that I’m 100% sure your problems are with the power pack.
what is the maximum current rating i can have for the arm? Its hard to find power adapters / battery pack which is 6V, DC, 2.0Amp or 2.5Amp in my area. usually is 3Amp or above.
If the power adapter or battery pack voltage reading is 6V, but its current rating is higher than the requirement, wouldn’t it damage the arm or circuit???
It is sort-of like plugging something into an outlet at your house. If the voltage is off, then you could damadge your stuff, like plugging something into a 220V circuit that is designed for 110 would not be good, but plugging in something into the wall that takes maybe 1 amp, but your service can handle 200 or 300 amps is just fine.
Amp capacity means the maximum current that can be continuously carried without causing permanent deterioration of electrical or mechanical properties of a device or conductor.
Erm. maybe it will be easier for me to understand with an example or scenario.
Lets say I bought power adapter for the arm is 6V, 4 Amp and the arm requires 6V, 2 Amp(minimum) but I do not know its maximum current intake.
Will the arm be damaged in this situation IF the maximum current intake of the arm is LOWER than the adapter’s current output 4 Amp? (voltage ratings for adapter and servo ratings on that arm are both 6V.)
No, the higher amp capacity of the power supply will not harm the arm. A higher voltage output on the power supply may damage the arm. Google for electronic tutorials to get a basic understanding of the relationship between voltage, amps, and resistance. It can save $$$ by not making electrical mistakes.
A power supply is limited to its capacity (the amount of current it can provide.) Let’s call it CC for current capacity.
A robot has a minimum current it needs to operate properly. Let’s call it CD for current demand.
As long as CC is larger than CD your bot will work. However if CD is larger than CC then it will not work properly.
In practice if CD exceeds CC the supply normally lowers the voltage to compensate. As soon as the voltage goes below a certain value (it could be around 4.5vdc) the electronics, in this case it’s servos, fail…
