User Manual

RoboClaw Series
Brushed DC Motor Controllers
RoboClaw Series User Manual
38
Battery Settings
Automatic Battery Detection on Startup
Auto detect will sample the main battery voltage on power up or after a reset. All Lipo batteries,
depending on cell count will have a minimum and maximum safe voltage range. The attached
battery must be within this acceptable voltage range to be correctly detected. Undercharged
or overcharged batteries will cause false readings and RoboClaw will not properly protect the
battery. If the automatic battery detection mode is enabled using the on-board buttons, the
Stat2 LED will blink to indicate the battery cell count that was detected. Each blink indicates the
number of LIPO cells detected. When automatic battery detection is used the number of cells
detected should be conrmed on power up.
Undercharged or overcharged batteries can cause an incorrect auto detection
voltage.
Manual Voltage Settings
The minimum and maximum voltage can be set using the Ion Studio application or packet serial
commands. Values can be set to any value between the boards minimum and maximum voltage
limits. This feature can be useful when using a power supply to power RoboClaw. A minimum
voltage just below the power supply voltage of 2VDC will prevent the power supply voltage
from dipping too low under heavy load. A maximum voltage set to just above the power supply
voltage 2VDC will help protect the power supply from regenerative voltage spikes if an external
voltage clamp circuit is not being used. However when the minimum or maximum voltages are
reached RoboClaw will go into either braking or freewheel mode. This feature will only help to
protect a power supply not correct regenerative voltages issues. A voltage clamping circuit is
required to correct any regenerative voltage issues when a power supply is used as the main
power source. See Voltage Clamping.
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