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Electronics => Electronics => Topic started by: shyam4uall on October 16, 2008, 11:35:47 AM

Title: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: shyam4uall on October 16, 2008, 11:35:47 AM
Guys I want to vary ( or u can say want to decrease) the speed of the motor inside my RC car.The motor used is a DC one(  :-\ i think) as its a low priced RC car.

Would it be require to alter the readymade circuits which are built-in receiver?or is it possible to control the speed externally through some other circuits?I wont like to go with the option of using gears so if possible is there some other way out i.e some sort of circuits(PWM,some IC etc.)

If anyone can give the links to those circuits ...i will be very thankful...
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: ArcMan on October 16, 2008, 12:09:58 PM
Let us know what you're trying to accomplish.  Convert the car to an autonomous robot, just add speed control, etc.
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: shyam4uall on October 16, 2008, 01:25:44 PM
Nope..

i have interfaced the transmitter with my PC through parallel port which enables the navigation to be controlled from PC.

I want that the car should move slowly or if possible...i can adjust the speed ?
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: ArcMan on October 16, 2008, 02:53:22 PM
That depends on several things.  Is your transmitter/receiver capable of variable speed commands?  Is it the standard R/C servo PWM type?  If it is, you can connect a standard R/C car variable speed drive to it.
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: shyam4uall on October 17, 2008, 02:16:40 AM
That depends on several things.  Is your transmitter/receiver capable of variable speed commands?  Is it the standard R/C servo PWM type?  If it is, you can connect a standard R/C car variable speed drive to it.


I don't think the motor is a servo one because it (car) moves with a constant(or fixed) speed.The receiver which is there inside the car gets its supply from 6AA size battery (each of 1.5V).So how to modify the circuit using external chips or ICs and where to connect them ?
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: ArcMan on October 17, 2008, 08:29:55 AM
OK.  I think I have a mental picture of the car.  It's the $20 K-Mart one, right?

I know you're doing this for a learning experience, but you may want to invest in a decent R/C car from a hobby shop and start learning from there.  These cars come equipped with a variable speed control system and continuous servo steering.

Or is there a particular reason you have to stay with this car - like a robot contest?

Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: DaveX10 on October 17, 2008, 09:26:46 AM
you may want to invest in a decent R/C car from a hobby shop....... Or is there a particular reason you have to stay with this car - like a robot contest?

I agree with ArcMan. However.... you could look at (research) using a resistor at the drive motor. Starving the motor of current might slow it enough... and for pennies. Be sure to expell the heat properly. 
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: shyam4uall on October 17, 2008, 10:42:27 AM
thanks to all....i am trying...a process and lets see what happens at the end.And yeah low current is becoming a issue,so working on it.
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: SciTech02 on October 17, 2008, 07:00:29 PM
Hobby-grade RC speed controllers should be fairly cheep (RC airplane speed controllers are around $20-$30).  Check your local hobby stores, hobby websites and even eBay.  IMO, this is the easiest method; you could get the motor working and focus on creating the PC control interface.
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: Admin on October 20, 2008, 11:31:29 PM
Quote
you could look at (research) using a resistor at the drive motor. Starving the motor of current might slow it enough... and for pennies.
but it wastes battery energy . . .


These hook right up to your receiver to control a motor:
http://servocity.com/html/speed_controls.html
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/ (see motor drivers)
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: merrixs on October 19, 2010, 01:01:37 PM
I'm not sure if this will interest you, but when I want to get my hobby grade radio control truck to to have a slower top speed with the addition of more torque I sometimes modify the motor because it is easier than adding more gear reduction.  A lot of us do this in rock crawling applications.  If you would rewind the motor and add more winds or wire the motor it will have a slower speed with increased torque and runtime.  This will not let you vary the speed on the fly, but it will make it slower with out wasting energy.  Hope this helps.
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: offencerobotics on October 25, 2010, 12:45:43 AM
well if your using the parallel port to control it just pulse the motor on and off to the speed you want
Title: Re: Speed Control Of DC Motor
Post by: WhomBom on October 25, 2010, 03:01:39 PM
You could try and take one cell out of your car's battery pack. This will result in a lower voltage from your battery pack, decreasing the power your motor delivers (at full throttle, but i gather from your description that's fixed). Provided your electronics still work at that lower voltage it should work..  If they don't you could try a small separate battery pack (or 9V block even?) for your electronics.