LACT series actuators

Robotics and electronics discussion Mechanical design and actuators
1

I’m working on 6 LACT12P-12V-10 actuators connected in parallel connection each with a separate Jrk 21v3 motor controller. I want to control all 6 actuators at different lengths at a given time.
Following are the 2 things on which I need more information/clarity:

  1. I want to understand what does 25% duty cycle means. The product specs page says “one minute of continuous operation in four minutes.” Does it means I can use the actuator for 2 hours continously and then give rest for 6 hours? What is the maaximum amount of time I can run the actuator without resting and without damaging the internal circuit or causing thermal damage?
  2. What is the maximum allowable temperature that the actuator is allowed to reach before it damages itself? Is there any internal temperature sensor for this case?
  3. Is using an adruino uno board sufficient for the application?

Please suggest/comment
Thanks

2

Hello.

  1. The “one minute of continuous operation in four minutes” is directly from the manufacturer’s datasheet for the linear actuator, which you can find on the actuator’s product page under the “Resources” tab, and thermal considerations should not be an issue if you follow them and stay within the rated load and voltage limits. If you want to run for longer continuous durations or have less downtime, then you would need to characterize the thermal performance yourself in your actual application, including with your actual loads, or you would need to take other steps to keep the actuator cool, such as by limiting the maximum PWM duty cycle from the Jrk controller to reduce the average applied voltage (which in turn will reduce the current draw that is producing the heat).

  1. Unfortunately, we do not have a maximum allowable temperature specification for these actuators or any suggestions for how to monitor the actuator temperature.

  2. You can use an Arduino Uno to send commands to your Jrk 21v3. There is a Jrk G2 library for Arduino linked on the Jrk G2 product page under the “Resources” tab. (Please note, that library is not usable with the older Jrk 21v3.)

- Patrick

3

Thanks for your reply, Patrick.

Could you please tell me if using heat sinks on the linear actuator would help with heat dissipation and improve performance?

I plan to run the actuators continuously for one hour without any downtime, and I’d like to determine whether adding physical cooling methods — such as heat sinks or cooling fans — would help extend the operating time or enhance performance.

-Aditya

4

I suggest to buy an actuator that is rated for continuous operation. The LACT series is very clearly not.

5

We have not characterized how these actuators perform with heat sinks or cooling fans, but I agree with Jim that these actuators are probably not suitable for your application unless the loads are light and you can keep the average applied voltage low.

- Patrick