We’re doing a demo Thursday where I work, and the spot they gave us is about 100’ from the nearest outlet.
I’d like to avoid the huge extension cord and also don’t want to run with tethers. So I was wondering if anyone had ever tried just making up a 9V battery pack to run the OI? Please let me know if you’ve tried.
Thanks,
P.J.
I’m pretty sure that we used a regular, commercial 9V battery for the OI last year during a demonstration where the robot was driven around closed-off streets. It worked fine.
Soon after the season ended, we took the robot to the school district board for a demo, but no one brought the AC adaptor for the driver control. We didn’t have enough time to get it, so our electrical engineer used a few wires and hooked up our spare robot battery to the DC input. We didn’t have any problems with it.
Mike
We used a 9v battery once during a freak power outage on campus… some construction guy cut power or something random like that and we needed to test something or other… ah… the memories…
Could someone tell me exactly how you connet a spare robot battery to the OI? It would be good to know in an emergency.
I’m pretty sure he just took a wire from the positive lead on the battery to the positive input on the OI & the same for negative, and used some tape to make sure the two wires didn’t touch. I didn’t closely inspect the set up because I didn’t really trust it 
And it’s not really anything I’d recommend. But then again, I’m a computer/software guy and only had a couple of EE classes.
Demo went off pretty much without a hitch. I went to Radio Shack and found a 9.6V 1100 Mi-MH rechargeble for $25, complete with charger. This worked great for powering the OI. As far as I’m concerned, every team should put one of these packs together for themselves.
p.s. - at the Demo I got to see something I’ve been waiting quite a while for: Both 2001 Bobcats working together to balance the goals from off the bridge. Thanks to Eric, Tommy, Pam, and Kim for coming out to run the machines.