Hello. I'm a third year computer science student so I must clarify that I am very ignorant and clueless when it comes to electronic components. I have however worked with RPI before and I am familiar with GPIO and connections and how to work with a controller. A few years back I got an arduino kit as a gift which has these components just for reference.
I am looking into a project to water my plants automatically. I know there are a lot of projects like that on the internet but I don't know most of the components used in them. I have looked into relay modules and I understand how they work, but my problem is that I do not have any electricity outlet in my balcony, so I was thinking of powering my project with a 9V battery (or a power bank?). Will that be enough for a water pump like this? Would I still need a relay module for that? What other components would I need? Also is this one pump going to be enough to water 5-6 pots using a long pipe? Any help would be really appreciated!
charming_potato:
... I was thinking of powering my project with a 9V battery (or a power bank?). Will that be enough for a water pump like this? Would I still need a relay module for that? What other components would I need? Also is this one pump going to be enough to water 5-6 pots using a long pipe? Any help would be really appreciated!
No.
Voltage range DC 2.5-6V
Operating current 130-220 MA
No Arduino can provide that much current, so you would need an FET or a relay to control the pump.
Then there's the problem of the 9V battery. (9 > 6). A buck-voltage converter would be a solution. So would using four "D" cells in series which would give you 6V. The barrel jack on the Arduino likes 6V, and so would the pump.
SteveMann:
No.
Voltage range DC 2.5-6V
Operating current 130-220 MA
No Arduino can provide that much current, so you would need an FET or a relay to control the pump.
Thank you for clarifying this!
SteveMann:
Then there's the problem of the 9V battery. (9 > 6). A buck-voltage converter would be a solution. So would using four "D" cells in series which would give you 6V. The barrel jack on the Arduino likes 6V, and so would the pump.
I dont understand what this means. what do you mean by d cells? Why did this kit come with 9v battery if it cannot be used by it? Also would using it with a power bank not be an option? I'm currently running this arduino board in my nintendo switch for a small program I made, and it is powered by direct connection through USB cable. Something like that with a power bank wont work? I'm sorry if I'm not making sense but I dont know anything about currents and how electricity works.
SteveMann:
No.
Voltage range DC 2.5-6V
Operating current 130-220 MA
No Arduino can provide that much current, so you would need an FET or a relay to control the pump.
Then there's the problem of the 9V battery. (9 > 6). A buck-voltage converter would be a solution. So would using four "D" cells in series which would give you 6V. The barrel jack on the Arduino likes 6V, and so would the pump.
The recommended voltage to the barrel jack for the Uno is 7V or more. That guarantees that the 5V regulator
will reach 5V output.
I dont understand what this means. what do you mean by d cells? Why did this kit come with 9v battery if it cannot be used by it? Also would using it with a power bank not be an option? I'm currently running this arduino board in my nintendo switch for a small program I made, and it is powered by direct connection through USB cable. Something like that with a power bank wont work? I'm sorry if I'm not making sense but I dont know anything about currents and how electricity works.
You can use the kit with the 9V battery, noone said otherwise, its the pump that's the issue, it wants a fair
bit of current. 9V batteries don't provide much current before they struggle, higher current battery or
power supply would be a very good idea. The powerbank would give 5V directly (connects to 5V pin, not jack
or Vin), and should be able to handle the load.
"D-cell" is googlable, you don't need to ask us to use the internet for you...
MarkT:
You can use the kit with the 9V battery, noone said otherwise, its the pump that's the issue, it wants a fair
bit of current. 9V batteries don't provide much current before they struggle, higher current battery or
power supply would be a very good idea. The powerbank would give 5V directly (connects to 5V pin, not jack
or Vin), and should be able to handle the load.
"D-cell" is googlable, you don't need to ask us to use the internet for you...
Thank you for your reply. I have a better understanding of the situation now.
Would I require anything other than the motor and relay module?
Good engineering practice says that you should have a diode across the motor (Google flyback diode). Since you are using a relay module this is less a concern. If you were using an FET transistor, then it would be essential.
what do you mean by d cells? Why did this kit come with 9v battery if it cannot be used by it? Also would using it with a power bank not be an option? I'm currently running this arduino board in my nintendo switch for a small program I made, and it is powered by direct connection through USB cable. Something like that with a power bank wont work? I'm sorry if I'm not making sense but I dont know anything about currents and how electricity works.