Electronics question re the Pololu 12v Buck regulator

Robotics and electronics discussion Electronics
1

I would like to use a 4 cell LiPo battery (nominal voltage of 14.8v and likely fully charged voltage of 16.8v) on an Arduino robot that uses 15v DC motors and a 15v solenoid. I would like to use a 12v Pololu Basic SPDT relay carrier (item 2483) to activate the solenoid. So, I need to lower the voltage to 12v. I have two questions:

  1. Are there any issues with using the Pololu 12V Step-up/Step-Down regulator to reduce the voltage from 16.8 to 12v? (The 12v portion of the circuit would power the Arduinos, relay coil and sensors. The 16.8v portion would power the motors.)

  2. Does the Pololu 12V Step-up/Step/Down regulator isolate the 12v portion of the circuit from the noise on the motor portion? I am using an MinIMU and have found it works better when on a separate circuit (and batteries) from the motors. I’d like to avoid two batteries if possible. (I have tried decoupling capacitors, but they weren’t as effective as two separate batteries.)

Thanks.

2

Hello.

It is not obvious which of our fixed 12V step-up/step-down regulator you are considering using. We have one that can source a maximum output current of about 200mA, and another that can provide upwards of 2A. I do not see a problem with using either to regulate from those voltages, so long as they can supply enough current for your system. If you add up how much current all of your devices will draw, and the total amount of current is close to 200mA, you should probably just use the higher current #2577 to be safe.

Our regulators are not isolated and do not have any special precautions to protect against noise (all of the grounds are internally connected on the board), so it will probably help some, but using a separate supply will still be better.

-Jon