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[Help] Power distribution from a 12v Li-ion battery — Parallax Forums

[Help] Power distribution from a 12v Li-ion battery

sleepingswordsleepingsword Posts: 3
in Robotics
I am building my first robot and am scratching my head about power. I am a complete beginner so please bear with me :)

I have a small 11.1v 1500mah lipo battery powering the motors at the moment, a powerbank for the Raspberry pi.

At the moment my audio is a cheap usb speaker and I am about to swap it out for a 12v audio amp pcb, here lies the issue.


I assume just using a splitter on the battery output would be bad, and the output would need to be regulated or fused? I cant find any small premade pcb's that would fix this either.


Any suggestions for this newbie?



Comments

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    How about this?

    https://www.parallax.com/product/28996

    -Phil
  • sleepingswordsleepingsword Posts: 3
    Looks nice but it looks a wee bit to big for my project.

    I was thinking something pre-assembled and no bigger than a credit card.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    Building something like that on a small pad per hole perf board is not hard. I do that often for prototypes and occasionally use them as part of a finished project. The boards I use are 3" x 1.75" which is close to credit card size. I started one this evening and can post a picture if you are interested in going that route.
  • sleepingswordsleepingsword Posts: 3
    Not sure I have the skill or the courage to make my own, but sure, I am curious to see what you have made.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    sleepingsword wrote: »
    Not sure I have the skill or the courage to make my own, but sure, I am curious to see what you have made.

    The only way to gain the skill is to make your own board, and a power distribution board is a good starting project. It's a relatively simple circuit using large easy to work with and solder components. Give it a try!

    The 3 boards above the Propeller Activity Board are 3" x 1.75" boards I use for prototyping circuits. The left one has one pad per hole, the right is a "dip strip board".
    The center board is a dual MCP3208 prototype from an earlier project.
    Protos.jpg
    3456 x 2592 - 2M
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    I use these cheapies a lot for prototyping. 5x7 cm, just a dime each. Probably not the best for beginners though. Copper pads are thin and can be damaged by overheating.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/10PCS-5-cm-7cm-Prototyping-PCB-Printed-Circuit-Board-Prototype-Breadboard-BZ504/292248878195
  • wmosscropwmosscrop Posts: 409
    I prefer the 2-sided boards like these, even for prototyping, precisely because the pads seem to be much more durable. They're not erco deals, but my sanity (or what little remains) is worth it:

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/20pcs-4Size-Double-Side-Protoboard-Circuit-Universal-DIY-Prototype-PCB-Board/222652316828

    Note: I'm not vouching for this seller, just pointing out the type of board I use.
  • rjo__rjo__ Posts: 2,114
    I absolutely hate to solder and only occasionally need to... the tips burn up. can't control the tip temperature no matter what you do... what a nightmare... but you can't really avoid it. (I keep a ready supply of Walmart specials and just use a new tip every time I solder.

    My go to is the Parallax circuit overlay boardhttps://parallax.com/product/32999... reason? Incredibly easy to solder... not sure why but it is just a pleasure. If that won't work I like the Vero one sided strip boards. You can easily cut the strips with a knife, dremel or cnc. They are a little harder to solder. I use liquid flux, which makes it a lot easier.

    The two sided Vero boards are nice, but the holes are not plated, so you have to make sure you make continuity where you want it.



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