Hello all, I am brand new to electronics, and am working on my first arduino project. My project includes two linear actuators to open and close a cabinet door with the hinge on the bottom side of the door. My question is specifically on the power supply that will feed into the motor controller which will then supply power to the actuators.
The motor controller is able to deliver 30 amps at 12 volts to each motor channel.
The linear actuator is rated for 5 amps max at 12 volts. I don't know if that is stall current or max rated current, but the motor controller should be able to deliver more than enough amperage.
My question is what specs should my power supply have? I know it needs to be 12v, but how many amps does it need to supply? 10, 30, 60? I need this project to be able to run off a wall outlet and not a battery.
The type of power supply I am looking at is this style or this style.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
The chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. If each actuator is rated for 5 amps max, then that gives you a power necessity of at least 10 amps. If you are not going to be running the actuators at their max capacity, you might even be able to get away with something smaller (they may only pull 1 or 2 amps moving a cabinet door, you can hook up a multimeter and find out).
The motor controller will just be overkill since a 2 channel 5 amp controller would do the same job. If it were me, I would also put a 5 amp fuse inline with each actuator, that way if there were ever a short circuit situation, the motor control doesn't try to deliver extra current. But all in all, the motor controller will only be able to deliver the max current available from the power supply.
I would also consider how much it is being used. If its used very infrequently, a 10amp supply will likely be fine. But if the actuators are drawing max amps on a regular basis, then the power supply will be working at 100% generating lots of heat and shorting its life span. If that is the case I would go with something around 12-15 amps for some extra headroom.
Please find the datasheet and post a link to it. Amazon sales site is not good enough.
The same for power supplies.
I have had success powering actuators like those with many sudden starts and stops (that I intended for spooky effects) with no trouble by converting ATX PC PSUs into a project power supply. One of the images in the Amazon page linked cites a 12V, 8A supply. I'd shop for an 800 watt or more supply since it will give you plenty of overhead, at a higher price of course but that's how I do it. "If you buy cheap, you buy twice".
Also gives you easy options for the 5 or 3.3V lines for controllers and such. Converting one of these is a piece of cake. Don't forget the 12V SLA battery in parallel with the supply.
Detailed guide here:
https://www.dimensionengineering.com/appnotes/atxguide/atxguide.htm
That would be the maximum full load continuous current. The startup/stall current, which the motor briefly draws every time it starts moving, can be 5x that or even higher.
Many power supplies are rated as "absolute maximum" and a 5A supply is likely to instantly shut down due to the startup surge. To be certain, I suggest to buy a power supply capable of providing at least 20A.
Two actuators can share the same power supply, but do not start them moving at the same time!
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