I am considering buying a 4 channel DC relay but I am not sure how everything fits in.
You can see the voice coil actuator details on the given links. I already have the actuators and those can not be replaced with other electric motor based ones. I also have ARDUINO R3 but would be open to any advice for a better project.
Voice coil actuators have been used in computer harddiscs for long. They are fast and accurate. How to control them, I don't know. Why did You decide for them? What job are they supposed to do? I guess that speed and recision is important, not force, power.
You'll probably want to use a control module from the actuator manufacturer:
or a similar H-bridge. Do you plan to have any sort of feedback from the actuators indicating force applied or distance moved?
These will have significant power requirements and you'll likely want to provide power for them from a separate supply than what's powering the Arduino/logic.
Have you checked the power requirements? Each actuator draws up to 5A at 15V, a total of 15A for 3 actuators. You'll need an according power supply, e.g. 24V 15A, and driver modules for 5A with incorporated current control. 12V may be sufficient for your experiment, at reduced speed and force. And adequate cooling may be required, for both the drivers and the actuators. Also add position feedback stuff to your budget.
Railroader:
Voice coil actuators have been used in computer harddiscs for long. They are fast and accurate. How to control them, I don't know. Why did You decide for them? What job are they supposed to do? I guess that speed and recision is important, not force, power.
I chose voice coil actuators for the exact reason you mentioned i.e. speed and precision. I am working with a setup where the movements have to be quick to avoid any lag.
DrDiettrich:
Have you checked the power requirements? Each actuator draws up to 5A at 15V, a total of 15A for 3 actuators. You'll need an according power supply, e.g. 24V 15A, and driver modules for 5A with incorporated current control. 12V may be sufficient for your experiment, at reduced speed and force. And adequate cooling may be required, for both the drivers and the actuators. Also add position feedback stuff to your budget.
Good point about about the cooling. I have checked all the specifications and have already considered position feedback.
I have multiple questions since I am new to this.
Will Arduino R3 work well for this project?
Will I need more than one power supply? Can I not use one power supply and direct the power to designated actuator using relay?
Why don't you read the given instructions? If you don't understand what you've been told, learn more about Arduino and PWM. Come back if you can control a toy DC motor using a H-Bridge.
DrDiettrich:
Why don't you read the given instructions? If you don't understand what you've been told, learn more about Arduino and PWM. Come back if you can control a toy DC motor using a H-Bridge.
