PicoBorg Reverse - output current, protection, and power
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Hello,
I'm interested in buying a PicoBorg Reverse to control a 24V DC motor. I have three questions:
1.) The specs claim the PicoBorg Reverse has a max output current of 5A. Is PicoBorg Reverse capable of putting out 5A continuously? Or is this strictly a peak current? If the latter, what is the continuous output current?
2.) Does PicoBorg Reverse provide internal protection when running the DC motor? (i.e. is it capable of protecting against inductive behavior?)
3.) What power supplies are recommended for use with the PicoBorg Reverse?
piborg
Thu, 07/21/2016 - 10:40
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PicoBorg Reverse specifications
No problem, hopefully I can clarify what the board is capable of for you.
Yes, the PicoBorg Reverse is good for a continuous output of 5A for each motor.
The PicoBorg Reverse has some internal freewheeling diodes handle power spikes coming from the motor.
With larger motors we recommend ramping speeds up and down to avoid excessive spikes which may still damage the board.
We also suggest you do not change between forward and reverse operation without at least going to 0% power first to prevent large reverse voltage spikes.
We usually recommend batteries between 7.2V and 24V to allow for the voltage fluctuations based on how much charge is left in the batteries.
For rechargeable AAs this would be a holder between 6x and 20x.
Alternatively a 12V or 24V lead-acid battery can work well with larger motors.
We usually avoid Li-ion / LiPo batteries as they can be dangerous if overcharged or damaged.
Given you are controlling a 24V motor I would suggest a battery supply of at least 12V to run the motor properly, to get the full motor speed you will want a full 24V.
A small motorcycle lead-acid battery should work well, we use a pair in series to run our DoodleBorg robots 6x 24V motors at speed.
When we do not need full speed he will run of a single 12V as well, just not as fast.