Hello,
I’ve a project requiring the use of 6 LACT12P-12V-20 or MD122012-P in simultaneous movement.
Below are the concerns:
- Can I control all 6 actuators and their feedback with BTS7960 and Arduino Mega 2560?
- what is the least/minimum value of pwm that can be given to either actuators in no loaded condition and fully loaded condition?
- what is the minimum possible extension possible at the least value of pwm?
BTS7960 datasheet link: https://www.infineon.com/assets/row/public/documents/10/57/infineon-bts7960-ds-en.pdf?folderId=db3a304412b407950112b408e8c9
Please suggest/comment.
Thanks
Aditya
Hello.
An Arduino Mega probably has enough pins for that, though I am not sure why you are using a BTS7960 for this. Since that chip is just a half bridge, you would need 12 of them to control 6 linear actuators. Instead, you might consider a full H-bridge driver, like our TB9051FTG or MPQ6612A carriers.
It sounds like you might be expecting the PWM duty cycle to be proportional to the linear actuator extension, but in the kind of setup you are proposing, the PWM duty cycle is actually proportional to the speed of the actuator. So, a 0% duty cycle PWM signal means the actuator will not move, and if you are using a 12V supply, then you can safely apply up to 100% duty cycle to these actuators for full speed. (Though one thing to keep in mind is the datasheet recommends only one minute of continuous operation in every four minutes.)
If you want to use the position feedback from the actuator to control extension rather than speed, you would need to program your Arduino to read the feedback and adjust the PWM signal accordingly. Alternatively, you might consider using some of our Jrk G2 motor controllers which can do that for you since they have built in support for processing this kind of feedback. You can find more information about using the Jrks to control your linear actuators on the linear actuator’s product page under the “Using a Jrk G2 motor controller with a linear actuator with feedback” header.
- Patrick
