I am after some advice on the most suitable battery to power my test rig.
I have your LynxMotion AL5D Robotic arm running off a SSC-32U controller, powered at this stage from the supplied power-pack (6v 2a). Also I have a RoboClaw 2*15A dual motor controller driving two wheel motors which run off a 12v 9000mah NiMH battery. Two of the SSC-32U servo’s connectors are plugged into S1 & S2 of the Roboclaw to control it (RC PWM).
After reading the user guides, I have tried three battery combinations to replace the power-pack. The SSC-32U has the power connected to the VS1 connectors, which as I understand it, powers the VL as well (VS1 jumper connected)
]Using a battery holder with 41.5 alkaline batteries the AL5 works well, however the RoboClaw shows the error LED and the and RC signals will not move the wheels (remembering they have their own battery power supply)/*:m] ]Using a 6v 2800mah NiMH battery (same as your RB-Sta-08) , the AL5 works, but not smoothly, it jitters. The RoboClaw shows the Error LED blink twice as well as the Stat 1 LED (Channel 1) indicating a Driver fault, according to the documentation./:m] ]Briefly tried a 7.2v 3600mah NiMH battery (being cautious about the higher voltage fro the logic board) which obtained the same result as 2 above./:m]I have the kit wired as per the wiring diagram on page 23 of the roboclaw_user_manual.pdf
Returning to using mains power-pack everything runs perfectly well and smoothly.
Do I need two power supplies for the SSC-32U, for example remove the VS1 Jumper, attach the battery case with the 4*1.5v alkaline batteries to the VL connectors and the 6v 2800mah battery to VS1 ?
OR, is there a suitable single battery solution that I could use for VS1/VL?
It really is best to use two batteries for your setup since the voltages needed are so different:
]6V 2800 for the arm alone/:m] ]12V for the DC gear (drive) motors and logic voltage./:m]
Ensure the 6V battery can provide up to 3A continuously.
No, the SSC-32U can be powered from just the 6V supply. HOWEVER, note that the Roboclaw has an onbord BEC which provides 5V via the red cable - make sure this is disconnected.
The 6V should be sufficient for the SSC-32U.
Before powering again, we invite you to show us a connection diagram.
Being new to much of this I just need to clarify in my mind what I am doing.
This is my current setup that works which also may be wrong in my configuration, however I believe this is what you have described and the connection diagram below is from the RoboClaw user guide that I used.
]I have a 12v battery attached to the Roboclaw unit with an on/off switch. There is no power supply for the RoboClaw logic board, I do not have a jumper on the LB-MB pins (BEC) (using the connection diagram below)/:m] ]The SSC-32U takes power from the mains power-pack, 6v 2a, connected to the VS1 connectors, which supplies the power to the logic board (VL)/:m] ]The SSC-32U has 5 servos connected for the AL5 arm (Pins 0-4), two servos to a micro pan/tilt head (pins 8, 9) and two servo connectors (pins10, 11) go across to the RoboClaw S1 and S2/:m]When I turn on the power to the SSC-32U, it sends power via the servo wires (pins 10, 11) to the RoboClaw board and its ERR LED is lit. When I switch on the power for the RoboClaw motors (12v) the ERR LED goes off and the STAT1 LED comes on
As mentioned, my program can then happily run and control the AL5 arm and the two wheel motors through the RoboClaw. All works fine and smooth.
So I have two power supplies, albeit one being the mains connection.
My only change was swapping the mains power-pack supplied power on the SSC-32U for battery power, the first being 4*1.5v alkaline batteries, second test a 6v 2800mah NiMH battery and finally the 7.2v 2600mah NiMH battery and none of the three battery options would allow me to drive the RoboClaw. Returning to the main power-pack solution worked fine without altering any configurations. That is why I was wondering about the most appropriate battery for the SSC-32U and my use of it.
As mentioned, being new to much of this and just want to be careful. It seems my choice of the battery supply is the issue and not the configuration; but then again, I don’t know enough to qualify that statement.
The Roboclaw has quite a few connections, so it’s really important to read through the manual: robotshop.com/media/files/pd … manual.pdf
Pay close attention to page 9+ (LB IN, LB-MB)
Note that the Roboclow was likely powering the receiver at 5V
You will likely need to remove the red cable between the SSC-32U’s positive pin and the Roboclaw, so the SSC-32U is not trying to provide power it.
Can you show us how you have the SSC-32U wired up?
Thank you, now I understand. I disconnected the red power wires on both the servo cables that come from the SSC-32U to the RoboClaw S1 & S2; installed the jumper on the LB-MB pins so that the board takes its power from the connected battery.
I connected the 6v 2800mah battery to the SSC-32U…and all works wonderfully well.
Strange that it was working before on the mains connection, obviously the two servo cables were supplying enough power to the board on the RoboClaw to make it work. a trap for inexperienced players.
