I just purchased an A2.
The page highlites a male barrel connector.
]Is that barrel connector necessary to power the unit or can the unit be powered off of USB alone?/:m]
]What polarity should I connect to the male barrel jack: should the pin or the sleeve be positive?/:m]
Thanks
Hi,
As you can see on the product page under Specifications, the RPLidar A2 requires a stable 5 V DC power source with low ripple and up-to 1.5 A of current during initialization.
Therefore, you can power it by USB, but only if your USB port can provide proper current. Typically, that would require a USB 3.0 power that is properly powered.
The barrel connector is for use of an external power source to provide enough current for the device. It is common for desktop from panel USB ports and laptop USB ports to not provide enough power for these kind of devices.
When not enough power is provided you may face one of multiple situations: works intermittently, connects but does not rotate, does not connect at all, etc.
On the same page under Useful Links you will find a datasheet for the barrel connector, which we also offer [RB-Sha-58]. This connection is made with the center pin on positive.
We hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Perfect. Thanks!
