Hi. I'm working on a project which is a RC car with a remote camera on it that I can control it over the internet.
My question is about the power supply and motors I should use.
I'm using Wemos D1 WiFi, I want to buy L298 driver module, and use 2 of these motors, and an old mobile phone as a camera.
One thing that I'm thinking about is that I want this car to be always on and ready to use, for example it's almost always connected to 12V DC power supply and Arduino is always running the web server, when I move the car, it will disconnect from 12V and will be using the batteries. And when I move it back to the place which I will build for it, it connects to 12V and the batteries will charge again.
I think I should use 2 power supplies, one for the mobile phone and Arduino (5V usb), and another for the driver module (motors actually). And I think Arduino and the phone should Always run on 5V usb (because higher voltage may cause damage to the Arduino voltage regulator for long time), and 6V or more for the motors. And I have no concern about leaving the phone charging 24/7 as it has been charging since past year and its battery is completely fine right now. One thing to mention, the L298 driver has a 5V output in case that u want to supply it to Arduino but many people said that it's highly recommended to use separate power supply for Arduino. Now my question is:
1: Are these motors enough for my project or I should buy more powerful ones?
2: Is that L298 driver suitable for my project?
3: What batteries should I use?
4: Is it safe to leave batteries always charging except from when I move it and it's not connected to 12V power supply, or should I have use a circuit or a special charger that goes off when the batteries reach 100% and then turn on again? Or can I make this circuit using the Arduino and a relay, etc...?
5: Any other advice that you think can help me make this project better in anyway.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Moved your topic to it's current location as it is more suitable.
Could you take a few moments to Learn How To Use The Forum.
Other general help and troubleshooting advice can be found here.
It will help you get the best out of the forum in the future.
You might consider getting a built RC car and modify it with the microcontroller parts instead of making a mobile platform from scratch. Continuous rotation servos might also be an easier and less complex choice for drive motors. I've got some WeMOS D1 development boards and I have tested powering them from cell phone charging battery packs and they seem to work well. You can get battery pack cases that you install 18650 batteries in, which might be a power option that could allow direct access to the batteries for motor power.
zoomkat:
You might consider getting a built RC car and modify it with the microcontroller parts instead of making a mobile platform from scratch. Continuous rotation servos might also be an easier and less complex choice for drive motors. I've got some WeMOS D1 development boards and I have tested powering them from cell phone charging battery packs and they seem to work well. You can get battery pack cases that you install 18650 batteries in, which might be a power option that could allow direct access to the batteries for motor power.
Actually the controller part is NOT the phone, it's WeMos, the phone only works as a remote IP Camera. I have programmed WeMos well and it's working well, I have just questions about: what motors and motor driver, and battery and charging circuit I should use to keep batteries charged whenever the car is connected to 12V without damaging the battery by overcharging it
"what motors and motor driver"
Well, since only you know the size and function of your robot, I'd suggest ones that are adequate for the job.
" and battery and charging circuit I should use to keep batteries charged whenever the car is connected to 12V"
Possibly a 12v car cigarette jack USB charger ($1 at the dollar tree), a micro USB phone charger cord from the dollar tree, and a DIY 18650 battery charger case from ebay (which has the battery charging circuity). You add the batteries. Modify and connect the 12v side of the cigarette charger such that it can touch stationary 12v charging wires when docked.
zoomkat:
"what motors and motor driver"Well, since only you know the size and function of your robot, I'd suggest ones that are adequate for the job.
" and battery and charging circuit I should use to keep batteries charged whenever the car is connected to 12V"
Possibly a 12v car cigarette jack USB charger ($1 at the dollar tree), a micro USB phone charger cord from the dollar tree, and a DIY 18650 battery charger case from ebay (which has the battery charging circuity). You add the batteries. Modify and connect the 12v side of the cigarette charger such that it can touch stationary 12v charging wires when docked.
So what's your idea about doing this:
Using the mobile phone battery which is running as an ip webcam, as Arduino power source too. I mean using the battery which is connected to phone and powering mobile phone, to power Arduino, and in case the battery output voltage is not enough, using a DC/DC converter which converts lower dc voltages to 5V, but is there any concerns about the max battery output current? I mean is that enough for powering both phone and Arduino?
And using 2 of this motor.
Using 3 of this li-ion battery, or maybe this one. They can provide enough current to those motors under some load, right? Which one is better?
And using this charging circuit
in the details of this charging circuit: "Recommended for 3 cell lithum batter upto 3300mAh" so can I use it with the first battery I mentioned above or no? As that one is 6400mAh.
Thanks a lot for your help, you really helped me a lot with my project.
@zoomkat can you or anyone else help me with my questions. I want to purchase things I need. Thanks a lot
erfan_m14:
@zoomkat can you or anyone else help me with my questions. I want to purchase things I need. Thanks a lot
Perhaps you have a picture or a link to a robot similar to the one you want to build. The motor you linked to indicates it may be a smaller robot. If it is small, I'd use modified or continuous rotation servos for the wheel drive mechanisms. I'd still would still use a battery pack charger as it already contains the charging mechanism. Below are links to those type things.