Submitted by Marty on Thu, 17/09/2009 - 00:17
Powering the whole shebang in the field requires some preparation. Consider the following electrical requirements;
- Camera - 8.3V, up to 2A
- Microcontroller - 5V, 100mA
- Motor(s) - 12V, ?? A - there is potential for this to vary greatly depending on how many motors are running at once
These devices need the correct voltages and currents available for extended periods, as the camera may be on location for many hours. This means a big battery or batteries.
I have decided on 12V as the base voltage as it is already used widely and batteries of various sizes (amp hours) are easy to obtain. Based on this I sourced out some 12V motors. Unfortunately I cannot try to source a camera and microcontroller that run on 12V, so a workaround is required. I found this in the form of voltage regulators.
For my camera, a detailed account of the creation of a 12V adaptor can be found here, and the relevant power plug can be sourced in Australia from Farnell.
A similar adaptor can be built to get 5V from a 12V supply using another regulator. More details on that once I've finished building the 8.3V supply, as the micro controller can also run off 3 x AA batteries (3 x 1.5V = 4.5V - which is close enough for the PICAXE).