Hello,
I have a project for school to control two actuators for a based on inputs from sensors. The actuators will move a given distance based on the values the sensors read and send to the Arduino, and also move independently of one another (they need to move different amounts). What my question is how can I know if this system will work? Since it is for school I have a limited budget and would like to be as informed as possible before purchasing.
I know the actuators have a maximum current of 5.5 Amps and a max voltage of 12 V. The motor driver can handle a maximum of 12 Amps continuously. Since the Arduino cannot supply the required Amperage the Sabertooth Motor Driver is used to provide the necessary Amps. The purpose of the Arduino is to tell the actuator how far to move and when to move.
So in summary, how can I know that all these parts will work together and communicate with one another? If you have suggestions of parts that would work better I would appreciate that as well.
Since it is for school I have a limited budget and would like to be as informed as possible before purchasing.
You seem to be buying somewhat expensive for a limited budget, but you don't provide any details on the project. The actuator may need an internal pot for position feedback, depending on just what you are building. You can get a motor driver on ebay for ~$10 that might work in place of the sabertooth.
Unless there's a compelling reason to use those actuators- eg you actually need the 300lbs they deliver- I think you should down-scale somewhat. You're working in a pretty high current world there: 10A is not for sissies. And at >200USD each you've chosen pro-quality not school project quality.
That battery is 5000mAh, ie 5Ah, so your 2x5A motors will drain it in 30 minutes. That may or may not be a hassle, but as zk says, you didn't describe the project.
At the other end of the actuator scale, there are these at about 20USD each: an order of magnitude cheaper, and maybe ok for a school gig?
