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Unread 29-12-2013, 18:37
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VEX Robotics Engineer
AKA: Arthur Dutra IV; NERD #18
FRC #0148 (Robowranglers)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Rookie Year: 2002
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Re: Powering the Robot From the Battery Charger

Quote:
Originally Posted by F Elliott View Post
Rookie coach alert.

During test and development, would it be possible to power the robot using the battery's AC charger without harming the controllers?

THANKS!
No.

A battery charger is not simply a DC power supply. Battery chargers typically contain advanced circuitry to measure the current status of the battery and adjust the electric current available. Batteries typically charge at their fastest rate when mostly depleted, then slow down as they approach full, then provide minimal trickle-charge current to keep the batteyr topped off when its full.

You will likely get unpredictable results attempting to use it as a power supply.

Also, the typical peak output current of a FRC battery charger is way under-powered for running a FRC robot. Most chargers can only put out a few amps at most, and a FRC robot can and do draw hundreds of amps for brief periods of time.
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Art Dutra IV
Robotics Engineer, VEX Robotics, Inc., a subsidiary of Innovation First International (IFI)
Robowranglers Team 148 | GUS Robotics Team 228 (Alumni) | Rho Beta Epsilon (Alumni) | @arthurdutra

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