Batteries & Power Supply

Units
Used in RoboSoc
Most of the robots and some tools are driven
by electric power. This power is supplied either
by batteries or by transforming the A.C. supply
to required D.C. or A.C. voltage.This PPT is a
guide to those batteries and power supply
units.
“Robots need Energy”
Batteries
Chemical reactions in a battery are responsible for the
electric power provided by them.

Types on basis of their chemical composition-

Lithium-Polymer(LiPo)

Lead-acid

Nickel-Metal-Hydride(NiMH)

Zinc-Carbon(general AAA size)

#Zinc-Carbon batteries are non-rechargeable(Primary

Batteries, other three are rechargeable(Secondary
Batteries).
Battery Ratings

Voltage
Battery voltage is specified in volts. A properly selected battery will maintain close to its initial (rated)
voltage during use, declining only slowly, until nearly exhausted, at which point the voltage drops
rapidly. The correct voltage should ALWAYS be used for a device. Too low, and the device will not
operate. Too high and it may burn out or worse (explode or start a fire). Some devices have internal
regulators and will accept a range of voltages. If so, it will be prominently noted.
Capacity
Battery capacity is usually specified in milliamp-hours (mAh), or sometimes amp-hours for larger devices. This
rating is a rough measure of how long a battery can supply a specified current before it is exhausted (i.e. the
voltage supplied to a device drops below a specified level). For example, a 1000 mAh rating would imply that a
battery can supply 100mA for 10 hours, or 1000mA for 1 hour. For purposes of comparison, a standard 1.5V AAA
alkaline cell can deliver about 1000 mAh. This rating is not really a constant. The actual time-integrated current a
battery can supply depends on the discharge rate, "rest" periods, and temperature, among other factors.

Current Delivery
Deliverable current is specified in Amperes (or milliamps). Ratings may refer to either sustainable current (the
maximum current that can be safely delivered for an extended period of time), or to burst capacity, (the maximum
current that can be delivered for a short period of time, typically a few seconds). These values can differ by an
order of magnitude or more. The robot constructor will generally be most interested in sustainable current. Burst
capacity is important for applications like starting a gasoline engine.. A 1.5V AAA alkaline cell can deliver around
100 mA continuously.
A common mistake among beginning constructors is to select a battery for running a motor only on the basis of
the voltage required by that motor; for example using a standard 9-volt "transistor" battery for wheel motors rated
6-12 volts. The problem is that the wheel motors may well draw over an Ampere of current when driving the
vehicle. A 9-volt battery is intended to sustain a few tens of milliamps at most, and burst capacity is limited to a
few hundred (and only when the battery is fresh). It just can't supply enough power to drive the motors. A good
rule of thumb is that your batteries should weigh significantly more than your motors.

Self Discharge
All batteries eventually self discharge, that is, they lose their charge due to various internal side reactions and
slow diffusion effects. The rate may vary from several percent per month to a fraction of a percent per year. A
discharged battery not only will not provide electric power as expected, but may be a chemical corrosion or even
a fire hazard. Most modern batteries can be left at least a year if fully charged initially.

Energy Density
The energy density or specific energy rating for a battery technology describes the (maximum) electrical energy
production for the chemical reaction and packaging employed. It is commonly specified in Watt-hours per
kilogram (Wh/kg) or kilo-joules per kilogram (kj/kg). 1 Watt-hour is 3.6 kilojoules. The theoretical energy density
for common batteries ranges approximately from 40 to 300 Wh/kg (150 to 1100 kj/kg). This compares to an
energy density for fuels like gasoline of approximately 11,000 Wh/kg (40,000 Mj/kg).
A Comparison Between Batteries

Battery Cell Energy Self Durability

type Voltage Density Discharge

Li-Po 3.2-3.9V 100-265W 8%/month 400-1200

h/kg typically
500

Lead-Acid 2.1V 30-40Wh/k 3-20% 500-800

g /month cycles

NiMH 1.23V 100Wh/kg 15-70% 500-2000

/month cycles

Zinc 1.5V 35Wh/kg 4%/year 1 cycle

Carbon Single use
 Sources of
Information and
Reference https://www.cs.rochester.edu/~nelson/courses/csc_robocon
/robot_manual/energy.html

For this
Presentation cum
Guide
Electronic Power
Supply Units
These are electronic devices which
transforms the electric power efficiently
from a A.C. or D.C. source to the load.

Examples-

S.M.P.S.(Switch Mode Power Supply)