I'm almost complete with my first robot, however I'm not sure what to use to power it. I have 2 servos modified to rotate continuously and a ping sensor. I plan on adding a sweeping servo later for the ping sensor for a total of 3 servos but thats not hooked up yet. Any suggestions on a power supply for this little guy?
Sorry about the lighting the picture is from my phone .
So nobody can suggest a good power source for this little thing? Please this is my first robot and I can't even run it disconnected from my PC. I tried a 9v and it didn't do anything then I tried 4 AA's and those seem to power the robot but I think its getting low power because the wheels only want to turn right for some reason. I know the code is fine because when I plug in the usb to the arduino and PC everything works perfect.
Arduino wants 5 volts (plus/minus 10%) on the 5 volt line, or something over 7 volts on DC voltage input connector. The AA's may be too much for the 5v pin and too little for the DC input. Rechargable Nickel battersy havea nominal voltage of 1.2 volts so four of them that my be ok but be careful because the voltage just after charging may be slightly too much for direct connection.
I think I solved my Power problem. I dont think its the cheapest but its slim.
http://www.lenmar.com/Web/Main.aspx?MenuID=4&EntityID=37&ResourceID=9&ProductID=PPU2100B
$50 does seem fairly expensive.
Do you know how much power your servos need? I would imagine they require more power than the arduino itself.
Might also be a good idea to post dimensions for the robot and/or the size of the battery you would ideally be looking for.
Your servo's should work on 4-6 volts. Just make sure you can provide the amps needed.
I just went ahead and paid for the usb rechargeable power pack I mentioned a few posts up. Its been working great. My robot can roam for at least 5-10 minutes then I get bored of watching it so I turn it off but there is still plenty of battery life left after I stop using it. Plus its slim and sexy!