Power vex cam off batteries?

VEX V5 General Discussion General Forum
1

I am going to receive my vex explorer kit on Monday but i have a question about the spy cam.

Is it possible to attach 4aaa batteries to the cable for power so that it doesn’t draw power from the micro controller?

I want all the power that the micro controller has to be devoted to the motors and sensors. The camera draws a significant amount of power so putting it on its on battery pack makes it entirely separate and maximizes the power i have to use.

I am sure it can be done as there is a positive and negative cable but i just wanted to make sure.

2

It is probly possible…
you should probly use this
you should also probly first check the thing for the proper outputs, but it is 6 volt
hope this helps,
Jimmy
:slight_smile:

3

Yes, you could power the camera (and lights, if you got them too) from a separate battery. It just draws power via its connection; there are no control signals it needs.

Also, the camera and lights have built-in power switches, so you wouldn’t even have to unplug the battery to turn them off.

I just took some quick measurements on my Vexplorer, and here is how much power the various devices draw:
[LIST]
*]Flashlight: 14mA @ 7.8VDC
*]Camera: 80mA @ 7.8VDC
*]Motor (no load): 200mA @ 7.8VDC
[/LIST]

Cheers,

  • Dean
4

Thats not a lot of current that it draws so 4aa battery’s should do the trick.

5

Does anyone know what kind of 2 pin adapter the vex explorer uses.

Could someone post a link where i can get some that way i can make a battery pack that you can plug the camera into instead of soldering wires to the leads on the wire.

6

O i forgot quazar how did you take the measurements for the current draw?

I have a voltmeter and some other stuff.

The answer is probably really simple but i just can’t think of how you did it.

7

You need either an Amp-meter or a Multi-meter (set to Amps).

Connect the meter in SERIES with the device and power supply.

The meter should tell you the current amperage.

8

Correct. I used a Vexplorer extension cable and just plugged in the device being tested such that one pin was hanging out. I then used my multimeter (set to amps) to read between the loose pin and the small exposed bit of metal in the socket. Let me know if that isn’t clear, and I’ll post a pic.

I don 't have a source for the Vexplorer connectors with the polarization tab; if anybody has a source, please speak up! I guess you could just buy these Futaba Male connectors and trim off the 3rd position with an exact-o knife if you really wanted to.

You can just use standard 2-pin connectors if you are careful to observe polarity. The Jameco part numbers for the housing is 100812, the male pins are 145358, and the female pins are 100766. I used this to make a Y-cable to run two LED lights, one on each side of the camera (looks more balanced!).

Cheers,

  • Dean
9

Thanks that helps i knew is was something like that.

As for the connectors i guess i could cut off 1 pin on the futaba connectors.