Hello,
Im having trouble figuring this out. I have a project in which I would use 15 to 20 servos. How could you go about powering all those servos? Is it possible to power them all from one central source, or would they all really have to have an individual battery?
Also if its possible id like to have a way to use AC wall power... convert it to DC... then distribute to 20 servos.
Thank you for your help!
Servos can all be powered from one supply but it would have to be a pretty hefty one. A rule of thumb for powering servos is to budget 1 ampere at 5-6 V for each servo that will be moving simultaneously.
If you wish to use an AC-type power supply, you will probably need a regulated supply in a boxed enclosure, 5 or 6 V and capable of 10-20 amperes (following the rule of thumb). Of course you can have as many supplies as you need, with the servos grouped. Jameco.com has a good selection of inexpensive regulated supplies, plus there is ebay and the surplus electronics marketplace to consider. Don't try to power the Arduino from the servo supplies -- it will just create headaches.
Be sure to connect all grounds together using heavy wire.
If you are using one supply then you need some hefty decoupling components to keep the noise down. This includes seriese inductors and capacitors for each servo.