cr0sh
Member
All,
I'm in the middle of a robotics project where I need to, as part of my testing, power a couple of DC motors that I am pretty certain draw more than 10 amps; they power the rear drive-wheels of a Powerwheels H2 ride-on toy:
I don't currently own a power supply capable of supplying the current they require; I am wanting to purchase such a supply in the near future.
I have contemplated simply running the motors using the large (12V 12AH) SLA battery that powers the toy, but I don't want to have to constantly monitor it and keep it charged if I can avoid it while testing, so I'd like to obtain a "bench" supply that can handle the current requirements. Furthermore, I don't know what make or model of the motors are (which is something I will attempt to find out, once I get to that portion of the system) in order to look up specs; if I am unable to find the specs, then I will need to have such a supply in order to "pony brake" the motors to determine approximate running and stall current requirements.
My plan of attack on this is to first look at a local electronics salvage yard (Apache Reclamation and Electronics) here in Phoenix, to see if maybe they might have an old switching or linear power supply that can handle the load, before investing money in some other solution.
One possibility I have thought of to use might be a PC power supply, but I wonder if there might not be other solutions - such as automobile battery charger, or maybe a DC welder? Could these be used for high-current supply? Any advice on current limiting as well?
Also - what would be the best way to measure the current? If the current draw is more than 10A, then my (admittedly cheap) multimeter(s) won't handle it. I was contemplating maybe a dash-mount amp-meter (for automobiles); does anyone have any other suggestions? I'm open to just about any possibility here; in the future I will likely wire up a hall-effect current sensor on the motors for monitoring via a microcontroller, but I am not at that point yet, so I am looking for something simpler.
Finally - I am open to any suggestions on how to properly check the current draw of these motors; as I noted above, my plan was to "pony brake" them in some manner, to simulate a loaded condition (but not fully stop them), and maybe add 10 percent or something for an estimated stall current. My goal is to gain the current draw information without damaging the motor and/or gearbox - or burning it out. So any information that could guide me in this process would be helpful.
Thank you.
I'm in the middle of a robotics project where I need to, as part of my testing, power a couple of DC motors that I am pretty certain draw more than 10 amps; they power the rear drive-wheels of a Powerwheels H2 ride-on toy:
**broken link removed** **broken link removed**
I don't currently own a power supply capable of supplying the current they require; I am wanting to purchase such a supply in the near future.
I have contemplated simply running the motors using the large (12V 12AH) SLA battery that powers the toy, but I don't want to have to constantly monitor it and keep it charged if I can avoid it while testing, so I'd like to obtain a "bench" supply that can handle the current requirements. Furthermore, I don't know what make or model of the motors are (which is something I will attempt to find out, once I get to that portion of the system) in order to look up specs; if I am unable to find the specs, then I will need to have such a supply in order to "pony brake" the motors to determine approximate running and stall current requirements.
My plan of attack on this is to first look at a local electronics salvage yard (Apache Reclamation and Electronics) here in Phoenix, to see if maybe they might have an old switching or linear power supply that can handle the load, before investing money in some other solution.
One possibility I have thought of to use might be a PC power supply, but I wonder if there might not be other solutions - such as automobile battery charger, or maybe a DC welder? Could these be used for high-current supply? Any advice on current limiting as well?
Also - what would be the best way to measure the current? If the current draw is more than 10A, then my (admittedly cheap) multimeter(s) won't handle it. I was contemplating maybe a dash-mount amp-meter (for automobiles); does anyone have any other suggestions? I'm open to just about any possibility here; in the future I will likely wire up a hall-effect current sensor on the motors for monitoring via a microcontroller, but I am not at that point yet, so I am looking for something simpler.
Finally - I am open to any suggestions on how to properly check the current draw of these motors; as I noted above, my plan was to "pony brake" them in some manner, to simulate a loaded condition (but not fully stop them), and maybe add 10 percent or something for an estimated stall current. My goal is to gain the current draw information without damaging the motor and/or gearbox - or burning it out. So any information that could guide me in this process would be helpful.
Thank you.