Hi:
Which is the recommended 5V power source for the Adafruit with 16 microservos connected? They will drive the turnouts in a railroad layout, and of course will not run all at once. But at startup they will drain current and I am not sure about how many available amps. Servos always run wildly for a fraction of a second at power up.
I'd appreciate any help, thanks!
Robert
This Adafruit 16 channel servo driver?
I have used many different power sources.
For just a few, a phone charger may work.
I often use large LiPo batteries and a voltage regulator.
I wonder if you can get away from all 16 servos pulling their startup current at the same time by staggering the attach and move to initial position with small delays in between.
But at startup they will drain current and I am not sure about how many available amps.
1 Ampere per servo, is a good rule of thumb for small servos.
So your power supply should be 5-6V, capable of delivering 16 Amperes.
Servos always run wildly for a fraction of a second at power up.
Symptomatic of underpowered servos, or the servo power supply interfering with the Arduino power supply.
vinceherman:
This Adafruit 16 channel servo driver?I have used many different power sources.
For just a few, a phone charger may work.
I often use large LiPo batteries and a voltage regulator.I wonder if you can get away from all 16 servos pulling their startup current at the same time by staggering the attach and move to initial position with small delays in between.
The problem is not adding delays in between the initial positioning, but the power up: their motors run for a short period of time, a fraction of a second, and the servo moves to a random position until it receives the proper PCM, meanwhile drawing current. Powering the Adafruit causes this to happen to all the 16 servos at once, then there is a voltage drop and the servos remain stalling. So a bigger source should fix it.
The micro servos at rated at around 150mA so I don't think they will reach 1Amp at stall, maybe something around 500-700 mA, but not sure.
ALWAYS oversize a power supply. Every competent engineer tasked with making reliable goods has taken this principle to heart.
Yes, some micro servos have a stall current of 600-700 mA, so you can probably get away with a 10 A power supply, but you are just asking for trouble by cutting it close.
By the way "Adafruit" is a company that makes and sells electronics of many types to hobbyists.