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Re: Powering an FRC-like system from a wall outlet
A quick word of advice that is hopefully timely:
The max current your power supply will be asked to supply is not the motor's steady-state current draw, it's the transient levels that occur when the motor speed (or direction) changes, or the load changes - And - These transients won't last very long, but they will be much larger than the steady-state currents.
It's a safe bet that your biggest transients will occur at startup, when the motor is stalled (or during a quick velocity change) (or at any time an unplanned stall might occur).
I'm not sure wheher some of the supplies folks have suggested (like PC power supplies) will do well when asked to supply startup current to your motor. They might, or they might not.
Bottom Line: You will want *both* your power supply, and and any fusing (built-in, or added-by-you) that protects your equipment (and the flammable stuff around it) to behave well when a transient occurs. Check their specs.
Have fun,
Blake
PS: It's a safe bet that for one reason or another, at some point in the life of the system, it will be stalled long enough to fry itslef, and perhaps its surroundings, if it doesn't have an auto-shutdown (a fuse) built into it. Detecting stalls with sensors and software in order to avoid frying things is useful, but it isn't a substitute for a fuse.
__________________
Blake Ross, For emailing me, in the verizon.net domain, I am blake
VRC Team Mentor, FTC volunteer, 5th Gear Developer, Husband, Father, Triangle Fraternity Alumnus (ky 76), U Ky BSEE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, Kentucky Colonel
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Last edited by gblake : 25-06-2016 at 16:17.
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