Robot Power source

[nerdyrcdriver]

So I am on a robotics team and we are looking for a power source for our robot. The SAE BAJA team uses bosch or milwaukee 12v drill batteries but they had to sacrifice a drill for each car to get the socket. I was wondering if anyone knew of a system that has something like a drill battery but has a socket we could just buy or has a really cheap tool we could steal it from. 

 

Otherwise I will probably just order a 3 cell hard case lipo. We have a thunder AC6 charger so it can be charged reasonably safely. The competition is always hosted in hotels and I am kinda sketched out by a lipo fire in a place with such a high concentration of people. I used to be big into RC (hence my username). If I go this route I would get a low voltage alarm and probably wire it to a relay to shut down the robot. 

 

 

We are looking for around 12v

[Goodman2265]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-18-Volt-XRP-Ni-Cad-Rechargeable-Batteries-for-18-Volt-Power-Tools-2-Pack-DC9096-2/100124990

[W-L]

-SNIP-

 

Depending on what you need your robot to do using Li-po batteries are a good option or the tool battery packs as Goodman2265 linked but try to get lithium versions since they use 18650 cells which store more energy and can discharge at a very high rate.

[nerdyrcdriver]

Depending on what you need your robot to do using Li-po batteries are a good option or the tool battery packs as Goodman2265 linked but try to get lithium versions since they use 18650 cells which store more energy and can discharge at a very high rate.

 

We will definitely need the current capabilities of lithium now that I think about it. The robot will probably be drawing 4-8amps during operation. My problem with just buying drill batteries is that I would need to sacrifice the drill to get the socket. Or do something like use spade connectors or  3d print the socket. But the robot would be under a lot of vibration and we can't risk it coming disconnected or being reverse polarity. Using something like a standard 3 cell rc lipo would be easy enough I guess.

[W-L]

We will definitely need the current capabilities of lithium now that I think about it. The robot will probably be drawing 4-8amps during operation. My problem with just buying drill batteries is that I would need to sacrifice the drill to get the socket. Or do something like use spade connectors or  3d print the socket. But the robot would be under a lot of vibration and we can't risk it coming disconnected or being reverse polarity. Using something like a standard 3 cell rc lipo would be easy enough I guess.

 

The Lithium versions use a spade connector type arrangement where they just use a piece of metal that connects with the tabs so fabricating something for it wouldn't be too difficult, and for high current draw theses would work well, as will the li-po battery packs.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/1000/41/418ba9f6-d760-4245-b155-c62ac2c85e05_1000.jpg

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-3-Ah-Max-Lithium-Ion-Battery-2-Pack-DCB200-2/202922423

[nerdyrcdriver]

The Lithium versions use a spade connector type arrangement where they just use a piece of metal that connects with the tabs so fabricating something for it wouldn't be too difficult, and for high current draw theses would work well, as will the li-po battery packs.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/1000/41/418ba9f6-d760-4245-b155-c62ac2c85e05_1000.jpg

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-3-Ah-Max-Lithium-Ion-Battery-2-Pack-DCB200-2/202922423

 

Good point. I think we even have a 20v Black and decker battery like that and the charger. I will have to get a beefy 12v regulator, but that shouldn't be too bad. I could pretty easily measure between the terminals and 3D print something it slides into.