[jgannon]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I'm really, really glad that I asked ahead of time... that would have been quite the waste of a Spike.

Originally Posted by eugenebrooks

See the specifications for the spike at the link below.
http://www.ifirobotics.com/spike.shtml#Specifications
In particular, it is rated at only 6 operations per minute
for rated life at rated load. Not a good idea, indeed...

Despite looking at the specifications list many times, I never noticed the part about the limit of six operations per minute. You're definitely right that this is not a good idea.

Originally Posted by Gdeaver

RC car electronic speed controllers are much cheaper. They don't have the amp capacity of the first stuff but can take quite a bit. Tower hobbies is a place to start. If your project is a small robot , Servos can be modified for constant rotation. You can get some powerful servos. This would eliminate the speed controller. Don't forget VEX - Not a bad bang for the buck.

Hm... Tower has some interesting stuff. When I'm looking at other speed controllers, what do I need to look for to ensure that what I'm getting will be compatible with the IFI RC?