I’m looking to purchase the svp-1284. I’ve used bench supplies and breadboards several years ago (seems like yesterday) at a university for projects and it’s been a while since I’ve done any type of circuit design since I have since focused on software. With introductions aside, I’d like to know what type of power supply is recommended for these boards. I was looking at a 9V 3A (max) wall plug and the 2.1 female jack. I’m guessing I can attach the jack to the board and plug it into the wall. Is this the right approach? I admit I’m a total newbie to practical circuit design but if anyone can assist me, you have my thanks.
Hello.
There really isn’t any required circuit design as all of the power regulation circuitry is already on the Orangutan SVP. All you need is a power source, and the ideal power source for your project depends on what you are trying to do. If you are making something stationary that will be near a wall outlet, a 3A wall wart is a good choice. The input voltage is passed through to the motor drivers, so you want to select an appropriate voltage for whatever motors you plan on running, and you need to make sure that your power supply can deliver the current the motors will draw at that voltage (keep in mind that motors will briefly draw their full stall current if fully powered from rest).
If you want something mobile (or at least something that can operate away from a wall outlet), I recommend a battery holder or NiMH battery pack. Once again, you should choose the voltage based on what you want for your motors, and you should choose the capacity based on how long you want your system to run before the batteries need to be replaced or recharged.
- Ben
Thanks Ben. I went with the 12V 3A wall wart. So there are 3 different voltages: VIN (12V) which is also passed through to the motors, a regulated 5V for the bus and up to 10.2V in my case for VADJ. If I need to power servos and sensors, I’m guessing I need to find parts that require the same voltage since there is only 1x VADJ correct? Or are the lines regulated as well (IO pins and servos)?
I think you’ll find that the 5V bus is sufficient for powering most of your devices since many sensors and most servos can run at 5V. You can access the 5V bus off of any pin labeled Vcc (there is a Vcc pin next to every user I/O pin on the board), and the 5V bus can supply up to 3A on the Orangutan SVP. If you need more current than this or a different voltage, you can use VADJ. For example, many servos work up to 6V, so you could set VADJ to 6V and use the servo power selection jumpers to set Vs=VADJ. VADJ could also be used to power any 3.3V devices you want to add to your system, although other external components (such as voltage dividers) might be necessary when interfacing your 5V I/O lines with the 3.3V device.
- Ben