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I'm currently designing a robot and want to sort out my electrical system grounding. The planned circuit is powered by 2 12V SLA batteries in series fed to a main fuse block and split using BECs to onboard 5V and 12V power. Those other voltages are provided by 2 more fuse blocks, for a total of 3. Each block has a ground stud, but each BEC also has a negative wire for the converted voltage, so should each fuse block ground be connected to the battery negative in addition to the BEC negative wire? I don't have a schematic handy yet but will be working on one from the feedback.Second, how, why and should a robot chassis be grounded? The documentation for the Sabertooth 2X25 says a metal chassis can be used as a heatsink when attached directly but if the chassis is grounded, the controller should be insulated. I'm curious why that is.
Second, how, why and should a robot chassis be grounded? The documentation for the Sabertooth 2X25 says a metal chassis can be used as a heatsink when attached directly but if the chassis is grounded, the controller should be insulated. I'm curious why that is.
The planned circuit is powered by 2 12V SLA batteries in series fed to a main fuse block and split using BECs to onboard 5V and 12V power. Those other voltages are provided by 2 more fuse blocks, for a total of 3. Each block has a ground stud, but each BEC also has a negative wire for the converted voltage, so should each fuse block ground be connected to the battery negative in addition to the BEC negative wire? I don't have a schematic handy yet but will be working on one from the feedback.
why and should a robot chassis be grounded?
The documentation for the Sabertooth 2X25 says a metal chassis can be used as a heatsink when attached directly but if the chassis is grounded, the controller should be insulated. I'm curious why that is.
not tie them together at a second point outside of the device as it would result in a ground loop
1) run only the signal wire from the microcontroller to the servo, and use the BEC ground as the reference
2) run signal and ground to the servo from the microcontroller, and also run BEC power and ground, and merge the grounds
This would avoid the creation of a ground loop
perhaps I am misinterpreting the definition of a ground loop
the bec grounds are internal short so those two diagrams are basically the same.
Quote from: wesg on January 02, 2014, 08:42:07 PMSecond, how, why and should a robot chassis be grounded? The documentation for the Sabertooth 2X25 says a metal chassis can be used as a heatsink when attached directly but if the chassis is grounded, the controller should be insulated. I'm curious why that is.Where have you read this? I did have some serious grounding problems, at least what i think it is, frying two sabertooth's
they don't recomend having the chassi grounded at all, it can cause problems.