Grapple Robotics and The Thrifty Bot are pleased to be releasing the MitoCANdria - the powerhouse of the robot! The MitoCANdria provides smooth, regulated 5V and Adjustable power rails at up to 10A each, up to a limit of 100W total (150W transient).
The MitoCANdria is perfect for a vision system (or three), coprocessors, mini PCs/NUCs, and custom circuits. The MitoCANdria is designed specifically for FRC, having a drop-out voltage of just 4.5V as well as over-voltage protection.
Find out more and purchase at the following links:
The first batch of MitoCANdria products will be dispatched in the 2nd - 3rd week of December in the US, and the 3rd - 4th week of December in Australia.
We hope you enjoy, and please let us know if you have any questions!
Yup, it’ll reset once the overvoltage is complete. The overvoltage detection is before the output stage, so it won’t flutter unless the input voltage to the board flutters. The over-voltage protection is done in hardware.
Is there a specific reason for the steep price tag?
This product seems amazing, but 150/230 dollars is just way out of reach and seems like too much.
For reference, this is approximately the same price as buying three VRMs, or a TalonFXs with a Minion.
Maybe I’m missing something, but this doesn’t seem too affordable.
Primarily it’s due to the high-current support and the heat dissipation requirements. High-current boost circuits are very expensive to produce, but in the FRC space they’re necessary due to the low-drop-out requirements of FRC. We’re also using high-quality components (genuine nichicon caps, for those playing along at home).
Fully loaded, the MitoCANdria supplies 3x the power of a VRM (4-5x if you’re counting 5V only, which is where you power most coprocs), whilst the cost associated with power regulation circuitry increases exponentially as your current rating goes up. In addition, we need to factor in R&D cost, software development cost, as well as labour.
In the space of $200USD motors and $180USD wireless radios, combined with the low production volumes compared to most industries, we think the cost is in the right ballpark for the value it provides.
I’m not too worked up about the price when the Redux Zinc-V also exists, giving teams a budget option alongside the more advanced MitoCANdria. I feel like if a team needs regulated voltage at more than 5V/4A, they can probably justify the price of this.
Today I learned locking USB-C cables were a thing (and apparently an existing industry standard)…
Honestly, kind of hoping these see wider adoption in FRC hardware. USB-C doesn’t get a lot of use on robots, but where it does, it tends to be critical systems (Vision, CAN, etc.) where you always worry about them potentially coming unplugged.
Is it possible to run this not connected to the CAN? for power applications I am not sure I need control during the match. Is the can connection just for initial config and power monitoring?
This looks like a great product! I think it will work well for our Orange Pi and LEDs.
The only thing on my wish list is a battery backup. PhotonVision historically has problems either losing configuration (should be fixed now) or failing to match cameras with their configuration.
