I'm working on my first major project and need to power 3 continuous rotation servos and an Arduino Uno. I plan on using 4AA batteries (6V) using a 4AA battery holder from RadioShack to power the Arduino Uno. The max operating voltage is 6V for the ATmega628. I also plan on using 4AA batteries as a separate power supply to power the 3 servos. Would this be sufficient to power the Arduino and the 3 servos? I would like to operate each of the servos at 5V ideally. I did some research and 9V batteries are highly not recommended for this purpose.
I don't recommend those cheap battery holders for high current, they are of rivetted construction
and not reliable. You will need several amps and LiPo is a much more capable source, although 7.4V
is a little too high for most servos alas. A proper 4.8V NiMN pack is probably a reasonable alternaitve.
Power the Arduino separately from the servos or you'll be back here saying the thing keeps reseting!
haha, oops 328 is what I meant. Thanks for your input Mark T. I am definitely going to power the Arduino separately from the servos.
From what I understand, 4.8V NiMN pack to power the Arduino would be a better alternative than using the 4AA batteries and the radioshack battery holders because the holders are not as reliable when dealing with high current, correct?
As for the 3 continuous rotation servos, you recommend a 4.8V NiMN pack as well because a 7.4V LiPo is too high of a voltage, correct? However, if I was interested in using AA batteries because I happen to have plenty lying around at home, 4 AA batteries would not be sufficient to power the 3 servos?
4 AA batteries would not be sufficient to power the 3 servos?
If alkaline, perhaps not. Alkaline batteries have relatively high internal resistance even when new and can't produce much more than 1 ampere without a significant voltage drop. NiMN batteries are better. I recommend planning on 1 ampere per servo.