Hey guys I am going to build a robotic arm with 6 servos that require 6.2V and 4amps and was wondering what kind of protection I will need for the arduino I'm guessing I will need at least a diode if not a transistor is that correct? If that is right do I just put it on the shared ground to protect from the back emf off the servos or will I need to have protection on the 6 pins for each servo??
Thanks in advance
Pacina
Don't guess - Look into servo operation a little bit.
Servos are "self-contained".
They get a control signal from a microprocessor (or other), no "protection" is necessary.
Dont all motors have a risk of back emf?? so even if servos try and controll it it is still possible and would rather protect my arduino now istead of goiing with the F it, it should be OK apporch
pacina:
protect my arduino now istead of goiing with the F it,...
Were you seeking ratification of your guesses and misunderstandings ?
The control signal goes out to the servo's input electronics - that's your degree of separation.
It's all taken care of for you.
The important point is don't power the Arduino from the same rail as the servoes, only common
the ground connection. If you want to be extra paranoid add a 2k2 resistor or similar in series
with the Arduino pins involved, which would protect the Arduino should a servo fail and put its
6V supply (or whatever) directly into the Arduino pin.
If you only have a single power source a DC-DC converter or LDO regulator is one way
to get a cleaner 5V from the servo supply, but basically separate supplies is so much better.