Thread: Question about carts
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Unread 13-09-2013, 08:14
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Re: Question about carts
Quote:
Originally Posted by fb39ca4 View Post
Our cart is on a motorized wheelchair base, and that has a pretty big battery, and we have never gotten any trouble for it, so I would say the battery isn't really an issue.
Are you using a non-sealed lead-acid battery or a sealed type like that on the robot? The initial suggested battery (by the way, the OP is no longer considering this option) was a deep cycle spillable lead-acid battery. Lead-acid batteries product hydrogen while charging and are a potential safety hazard given certain conditions.

I don't see a problem with using a motorized cart, so long as appropriate design considerations are made: speed is no faster than a moderate walking pace, a dead man switch or emergency stop is in place, a beeper/flasher or other acoustic or visual device to inform those around that it is powered, and the batteries of the sealed, non-spillable type. In my opinion, however, it adds needless complexity and weight to what I believe is a very simple device.
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