My buddies and I are working on this manually controlled robot, which has an arm-like mechanism with five servo motors, which can pick blocks and place them at other places. It moves with the help of DC geared motors, while using servos for its limb-movements. I tested the servos and found that they take in a max of around 600 or 700 mA while retaining their position despite me trying to move the shaft with ample force.
I have a lead acid battery source, and need to power these motors with 5V. Guess 12V is what I'll need in the lead acid department, but I am confused over the type of regulator to use. A linear reg with say lm317 and pass transistors would result in an insanely large drop, thereby requiring a massive heat sink. Should I go for a switched mode power circuit? Buck converters?
Pl suggest suitable ways to drive around 6 to 8 A from the battery, supplying at 5V. Can normal buck circuits supply that much current?