Hi all, I have a question re battery run-down time. This is for a junior design project- I'm at OSU,ME dept. Basically a tracked/wheeled vehicle that carries a load. I am using 2, 3.6 V motors (out of cordless screwdrivers),they have planetary gearboxes with a 68:1 ratio, 40 in-lbs Torque, 180 rpm. The mechanism will weigh between 4-6 lbs fully loaded (the uncertainty is large still, due to unfinished bin design issues). My competition run is 10 minutes long. I have rechargeable 1.2V NiCad batteries available. The asme rules allow us up to 30V. 9V is going in my RC controller, and there is also a motor on the rice bin to move a ball screw assembly to shift our Center of Mass to assist in the stair-climbing activity(the stairs are 4" high). I have probably overloaded you on information, but better too much than too little, I think. What I need to know is this- with 1.2 V batteries rated at 500 mAh, running these motors full-on for
10 min, how long can I expect them to last? I'd be satisfied with a WAY to calculate this, if no one feels like tackling it. thanks all, k wallace wallacek*at*engr*dot*orst*dot*edu- posted
19 years ago