Batteries

[Duane Attaway]

On Mon, 12 May 2003, Charles Steinkuehler wrote:

> Their batteries can handle phenominal charge/discharge rates, and
> provide better power/weight to boot (not that this matters a lot to a
> UPS, but it's critical in a BattleBot!).  I'm partial to NiMH batteries
> myself, but the BattleBots folks changed the rules (damn insurance
> carriers!) to prohibit the high voltages I like to run (I was running 96
> cell packs for 115V...enough to power line drive industrial DC servo

It gets better in UPS units too...  The larger UPS units for computer
rooms often use a higher voltage of 240 volts to greatly reduce the size
of conductors and switching transistors.  Small inverters using IGBT
transistors can convert the power from the small wires of these battery
packs at high effiency.  I have a small 10KVA UPS unit running my house
from a pair of 240 volt gell cell "explosion proof, short circuit rated,
earthquake duty" battery packs.  Not nearly as fun as watching the dirty
forklift batteries at work that get dirty with acid salts melting the top
plastic having a meltdown...

I have seen servo motors sheer the bolts off shafts in manufacturing
automation machines, but I'd love to see the latest in robot destruction
technology...

Now if I ever hook up 10 240volt battery pack connectors in series...

--
Programming C shells by the sea shore since 1994.
http://dattaway.org