I am very new to “robotics”. I am actually looking to buy a gearbox in order to turn a small magnet (and induce the spinning of another magnet). I decided that the Tamiya 72001 Planetary Gearbox Kit (pololu.com/catalog/product/70) would produce the right torque for my purpose, but can’t seem to figure out how it is powered. I see that it has a motor, but would I need to run a wire to the motor? Is there a battery? Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Kerry
Hi Kerry,
The Planetary Gearbox Kit is not a self-contained system; you will need to provide your own power for it. While it is possible to power it by connecting it directly to a battery (using two wires), this does not allow for any kind of speed control. A circuit for controlling the speed could be as simple as wiring a potentiometer in series with the motor and power source; a more sophisticated setup might use a motor driver such as our DRV8833 Dual Motor Driver Carrier or our Orangutan SV-328 Robot Controller.
-Aaron
