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Allison
03-03-2004, 17:41
can you power the edubot controller off the 7.2v battery charger without harming the controller
jacob_dilles
03-03-2004, 18:10
i WOULDENT try that. the charger is ment for NiCaD batterys. they recharge slowly. its also probably sevral volts above 7.2. what i would reccomend is going out to your local radio shack and getting a 7.2 v NiCaD, (it wont fit, we already tryed) and using aligator clips to connect it. at least temporarly
SarahB
03-03-2004, 18:17
i WOULDENT try that. the charger is ment for NiCaD batterys. they recharge slowly. its also probably sevral volts above 7.2. what i would reccomend is going out to your local radio shack and getting a 7.2 v NiCaD, (it wont fit, we already tryed) and using aligator clips to connect it. at least temporarly

If you want to use that battery for normal operations, just buy the connectors (http://www.innovationfirst.com/FIRSTRobotics/edu-electrical.htm) from Innovation FIRST.
Venkatesh
03-03-2004, 19:05
I haven't used the Battery Charger meant for the 7.2V but from what I know about battery chargers, it is not a good idea. Battery chargers output a significantly higher voltage than the battery-to-be-charged. This is so that the battery can be charged. =)

I think that the EDU controller will have a voltage regulator inside (I hope), and if so you might be able to get by with the charger. It would be far eaiser IMHO to get a 7.2V wall-powered transformer. They are quite common.

Good luck.
Al Skierkiewicz
04-03-2004, 07:16
can you power the edubot controller off the 7.2v battery charger without harming the controller
Allison,
You should never use a battery charger to power critical circuitry. All battery chargers are different in operation depending on the battery they are meant to charge and the method used to charge. NiCad batteries like to be constant current charged, that means that the charger is never putting out 7.2 volts except when it is connected to a fully charged 7.2 volt battery. Nicad chargers frequently output large current spikes and switch in a load resistance periodically to measure the battery condition. Bottom line is a charger is not a power supply. Between the controller and the devices you have connected to it, you have a big investment. Don't sacrifice you system.
Allison
04-03-2004, 19:53
thank you everyone,
i was pretty sure it wasn't a good idea that is why i didn't do it but i need to find a way to test autonomous mode because as of right now our robot spins at top speed