Wiring & Connecting Tips

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BrownRanger
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2017 9:40 am

Wiring & Connecting Tips

Post by BrownRanger »

Hi all,

Since you are all really helpful I thought I'd ask some really basic questions that I hope you'd answer. I've never built anything like a robot outside of building a PC!

I have a Sabertooth 2x5 motor speed controller, and Orange RX reciever and a 180 MaH LiPo (pics below).

My question is how is best to connect them all together?
1. Can I buy a male/female connecter to take the battery into the two wire terminals on the PCB? I was thinking of cutting the wire and then soldering on but I can see the battery has three wires.
**EDIT** - Could have googled this before posting, Hobby King and ebay have adapters that I reckon would fit perfectly.

2. There are three inputs to the reciever end of the PCB which are the bundled connectors; Servo, Forward/Back, Left/Right. But the reciever only has one.. I think I might have bought the wrong thing so that is no huge problem but is there something I should buy in replacement?
3. What gauge wire would be ideal to connect motors to the PCB?

Thanks!
Attachments
Sabertooth & LiPo.jpg
Sabertooth & LiPo.jpg (169.07 KiB) Viewed 3217 times
Battery Terminal.jpg
Battery Terminal.jpg (85.7 KiB) Viewed 3217 times
Sabertooth & OrangeRX.jpg
Sabertooth & OrangeRX.jpg (165.23 KiB) Viewed 3217 times
JeffSergeant
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2018 3:23 am
Location: Cambridgeshire, UK
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Re: Wiring & Connecting Tips

Post by JeffSergeant »

Hi There,

My 2p!

"1.I was thinking of cutting the wire and then soldering on." I know you said you've found an adapter, but Pro Tip, if you do ever need to change a battery connector, Cut one battery wire at a time, and cover the ends with tape before you cut the next one; if you lop them all off in one swipe like some sort of animal, you end up arc-welding bits of copper to your wife's best scissors.. theoretically

The receiver has a (c)PPM output, your PCB connections are PWM. http://www.dronetrest.com/t/rc-radio-co ... -dsm2/1357 (Basically a serial connection which sends all three channels on the same wire) as it's a different protocol you'd need a decoder to get from one to t'other it's not a simple adapter. I've avoided using PPM so far because it sounds far too much like magic.

3. Depends what motors you have, there's a cable sizing calculator here http://www.solar-wind.co.uk/cable-sizing-DC-cables.html I'd probably base it on 5amps, the max rating of your controller.

Jeff...
BrownRanger
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2017 9:40 am

Re: Wiring & Connecting Tips

Post by BrownRanger »

Hi Jeff

Very useful thanks. Reorederd some bits so ideally ill be able to make a moving robot in the next few weeks
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