I have a project that requires the control of 7 Actuonix P-16P actuators. All servos will move simultaneously to an incremental and open/closed position. I am looking to use an Arduino to control the actuators.
Can you help me with the proper power supply, wiring, and appropriate Shield to do this?
Thanks for your help.
Hi,
As you can see in the datasheet of the P16 (page 2), the -P type has potentiometer feedback but no embedded controller. Therefore, you will need a DC motor controller to move the motor in both directions (or turn it off/break).
Typically, the P16 need at most 1000 mA (or 1 A) @ 12 V DC. Since this is a small amount of current for DC motors, you should have no problem finding motor controllers (in shield form or otherwise) for your project.
That being said, you wish to control 7 of them, so this is an important consideration. If you need to move each individually, you will need one motor channel per linear actuator. If you are fine with moving all of them simultaneously from one control channel, you can also do that. Please note that if you do so, they may not all move at the same speed and will most likely not finish their travel at the same time.
If you are going for just one controller, you’ll need one that can handle up to 7 A @ 12 V DC. A good option in shield form factor would be the RB-Cyt-116, which can handle up to 10 A. If you do not mind having it in a different form (i.e.: not a shield), you can get a slightly more powerful version that is not a shield as the RB-Cyt-132.
For a power supply, you’ll need one that can provide 12 V DC (of course) and the appropriate amount of current. This can also be done with a battery pack, if you prefer or if you need to be mobile.
If you go for a wall adapter, you can find plenty here. Make sure to choose one that provides enough power for your 7 motors to work simultaneously. The peak current when they all start moving will be quite high.
A few good options may be RB-Hap-05 (12 V DC, 6 A), RB-Miw-08 (12 V DC, 10 A) or RB-Prg-21 (12 V DC, 10 A).
If you wish to use a different power supply (with a higher DC voltage) or a battery pack with too high a voltage (ex: 14.8 V DC), you can regulate it down using a 12 V DC power regulator, such as RB-Dfr-429 (12 V DC, 6 A).
As for battery packs, you can either go NiMH (typical recommended charger: RB-Ten-02) or LiPo (typical recommended charger (for 2S, 3S packs): RB-Hui-06).
A good option in the NiMH catalog is the RB-Sta-14 (12 V DC, 2800 mAh).
For the LiPo packs, any 3S should do, such as RB-Sta-02 (11.1 V DC, 3500 mAh) and RB-Sta-03 (11.1 V DC, 2500 mAh).
As for wiring, the P16-P models have 5 pins (as seen above, in the datasheet; page 2):
]V+ > connect to motor controller/:m]
]GND > connect to motor controller/:m]
]Pot V+ > microcontroller positive (ex: 5V pin on Arduino)/:m]
]Pot GND > microcontroller ground (ex: GND pin on Arduino)/:m]
]Pot wiper > microcontroller analog input (ex: A0/A1/A2/A3/A4 pin on Arduino)/:m]
We hope this helps!
Sincerely,
Thank you so much for the help, it will be invaluable.
