I am developing small 1/32 scale tractors. They are powered by a standard 9 volt battery and DC 6 volt 200 rpm gear motors. Motor model #AE19658, * ASIN : B09N6NXP4H. I need a path to be able turn the motor on and off, control the speed, (vary the voltage), length of time the motor runs in seconds. Preferably the motor would start at a very low speed and ramp up to full speed, run for several seconds then turn off. I'd like to be able to control either by logic programming or variable remote control, (RC). I have 2 areas to place all necessary components. One area is approximately 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches by 1 inch. The other compartment is where either one or two motors can be placed, it is 3 3/4 inches by 3 inches by 1 inch. See pictures.
Wow, that was quick! Thanks.
I am a beginner and not very familiar with electronics, could you supply a parts list please? I believe I can follow the schematic.
I will research the components on your parts list to figure out how they work together.
Those little motors will do quite OK on a 9V battery, but it's killing the battery, fast.
It'll run about as well on 2xAA or 2xAAA batteries. Much cheaper and they will last longer.
It does add a bit more complication selecting a suitable MOSFET, the ones that switch properly at those low voltages tend to only be available in SOT-23 or similar small packages.
The requirement of ramping up and down implies the use of a microcontroller, an 8 MHz Pro Mini will run great on 2xAA batteries, and smaller options are available of course but not as easy to work with.
I get it. The motor will turn but for a very short time. I wouldn't say PP3 batteries are cheap..... To me it looks like a very limited range using PP3 in any application.
In some model application motor, and/or batteries are placed in a second wagon etc. Then more powerful devices can be used.
You are correct on the conversion math.
"Variable remote control" would be using a handheld radio control transmitter, and a receiver would be mounted on the tractor. A tiny servo actuator would be connected to a potentiometer to control on/off and speed.
Also, acceptable would be an on-board programmable logic module, preprogrammed via laptop app or cellphone app. The app would have adjustments for on/off, ramp up time, length of "on" time, and maximum voltage. These motors are rated at 6 volts, but I have run them repeatedly for short lengths of 10-20 seconds without a problem, as long as you give the motors time to cool down.
To give you a good visual of what we are trying to replicate in a small scale, search tractor pulling on YouTube. Especially the Pro Stock and Super Stock classes.
The space you have is enough for a real small microcontroller and a small DC-pwm-module
and a small RC-receiver. The microcontroller can read in the RC-servro-signal and control the motor-speed. You will even be able to limit the motor-current to a safe level.
So there will be no need for a servo
The batteries do just fine. We use 850Mah rechargeable. They weigh less than the 4 AA and take up far less space. Plus, we use Velcro to mount the batteries in different areas of the tractor, with no need for a battery carrier. Only 1 or 2 simple connectors. We have 18 volts available if needed.
If we need to, could we power the logic with a AAA battery, and the motors could suck on the 9 volt batteries?
That sounds promising! Please forgive me for being ignorant on electronics, I am mechanical, not electrical. I am taking this all in. The terms you are using have only entered my vocabulary in the last day or so. Somewhere in this thread was a 8 MHz Pro Mini controller mentioned, I'm looking for one of them, a DC-pwm-module, and a small RC receiver, correct? Will I need a separate supply battery for the controls, or can we tap into the 9 volt supply? I am not worried about battery life, because we use rechargeable 850Mah batteries, and can get several passes or cycles out of one charge.
You have a good idea there. My first choice is to have everything on the tractor, but if we can't find components that will fit on board the tractor, there is more than enough room on the sled.
Do you really want a extra RC remote control? It is possible sure.
There are small microcontrollers with WIFi and bluetooth onboard so you could use a android-app for controlling over WiFi or over bluetooth. Then a RC-receiver is not needed at all.
I would MUCH rather use an app over bluetooth/wifi.
I thought I was dreaming yesterday, because I was imagining just what you are saying, now it's beginning to sound feasible.
Is there educational material available for the " Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 or ESP32-nodeMCU-boards?" Then I don't have to bother you fellas with novice questions. I did see some kits on amazon, but I am not sure which one would be related to this application.
