This is a placeholder topic for “Adafruit DC & Stepper Motor Bonnet for Raspberry Pi” comments.
Let your robotic dreams come true with the new DC+Stepper Motor Bonnet from Adafruit. This Raspberry Pi add-on is perfect for any motion project as it can drive…
Read moreHello, I have a questio about this product.
Hi, I have a pi model b+, I was just wondering would I need a 9v battery with a 9v clip connected to the board for it to run while it is connected to the pi? Also does the box have a layout to know how I can attach the cables?
Thank you
Hey Timothy,
Welcome to the forums!
A 9V Battery may not be sufficient for this hat, depending on how many motors you are using, the draw could be much higher than what the 9V can supply.
Check out Adafruits full guide for this hat over on their site for full info on how they recommend setting this up.
Cheers,
Blayden
Hi Blayden,
Thank you for the reply.
At the moment I plan to use one motor, however, I plan to use it to move two 5" tapes (reel to reel.)
I was hoping to use one motor using 9v battery to power a motor to spin one and use some sort of mechanism (haven’t 100% finalized which system) to spin the other reel.
If I needed more than 9v. Is there a battery system that can give more power? I have read the adafruit but it seems it is mostly AAA batteries giving 5v and I am not sure if it will give enough power.
Regards, Timothy
Hey Timothy,
Could you let me know what motor you are looking to use? A lot of motors (even small ones) can use up to 3 Amps. So a 9V battery would not be able to handle that load. Check out the page for this product that deals with powering the board, it does specifically say that a 9V will not be able to get it to work and suggests that a plug pack may be a better solution to power it.
How are you looking to power the Pi for your project? As this board will not supply power to the Pi itself, so you will need a power supply solution already for it.
Cheers,
Blayden
Hi Timothy
You would not want to “spin” the supply reel. The 2 reels will have a constantly changing speed relationship as the tape transfers from one reel to the other. The take up reel will be powered but the supply reel will need some form of resistance to maintain a slight tension. If you attempt to drive the supply reel you could have tape everywhere except where it is wanted.
The better quality reel to reel tape recorders had 3 motors, the third to drive the capstan to maintain tape speed. The take up reel was driven forward, actually overdriven slightly to maintain tension. The supply reel motor was either loaded with a resistor or supplied with a small reverse voltage to maintain a bit of tension. All to keep the tape nice and firm on the reels. In rewind mode the supply reel voltage was increased (this is now the take up reel) to the required speed and the now supply reel (was the take up reel) voltage reduced to once again provide a bit of tension.
If you are only ever going to wind one way your task will be easier. If you need a controlled speed you will need a capstan as without this the tape will change speed as the tape transfers and the effective diameter changes.
Cheers Bob
Thank you for the reply Robert and Blayden.
I’ll start of with what my general idea is so you guys have a better understanding.
I have an old, worn down Ferguson Reel and Reel tape recorder that I don’t see a point repairing as it gets general low scores on its quality.
Instead, I have decided to gut it and place a pi in with volumio and using its GPIO pins to use the buttons (as well as a hidden touch screen to help when needed.)
This part has been successful.
My next plan is to get the wheels spinning. I don’t think I will use the same pi that has volumio as it is imaged with volumio. It doesn’t give motor support. Luckily I have a spare Pi model b. Old but should still work in this scenario.
Bob, I understand where you are coming from. I plan to have a tape use of friction to move both wheels in a continuous loop with the tape tied to itself. I tried it myself spinning one wheel and it worked but I’m not sure a motor can do it on its own. I hope one motor should be able to power this but if not I may need to add a second motor o the second reel to assist. Thank you for your assistance and advise I do appreciate it.
Blayden, I reread the link you sent and I see what my error was. In the post you sent me, it says 4-8 AA can work, would that work in this scenario? I plan to use one motor but maybe two if it needs the power. Would it be better to go for 8 battery pack be a better option if I need two motor?
Thank you for your help
Regards, Timothy
Hey Timothy,
It would depend on the requirements of your motor for this project, though 8-AA batteries should be sufficient for something very small and low powered.
How are you going to power the Pi? I am assuming that because you want battery packs to be used you are planning on making this portable? If you have to plug the Pi in to a power adapter via the wall, there is no reason that you couldn’t just use a plug pack to power the HAT?
Cheers,
Blayden
Hi Timothy
If you plan to play audio off that tape you will still need the capstan drive to maintain the correct speed.
I have seen endless tape machines years ago and am trying to remember how they were arranged. The 7 second delay used in broadcast stations for “ducker” use where offensive language etc can be “ducked” and not go to air is one example. Will have a think about it.
Cheers Bob
Hi Blayden and Robert,
Nothing will play on the tapes, I would just like them to spin to give the allure the music is coming from the tapes but basically just decoration.
The pi’s have a battery pack that is suitable for a raspberry pi. I have tested and made sure the don’t cause any issues and they last around 9 hours, give or take.
the speakers and screen share a separate battery. Volumio lets me use internal storage to play songs.
The motor would have its own independent battery and be used to move the reel. Preferably rechargeable batteries.
Thank you for both of your help and I will continue to investigate how I can get it to work.
Cheers,
Timothy
Hi Timothy,
Thanks for confirming the tape reel spinning is just for decoration, that should make things a lot easier.
Nobody will be able to confirm what power supply your motor will need until we know how large the motor is. We’ve got three main sizes we carry for brushed DC gear motors and the power requirements increase with the motor.
You said the Pi was already powered by batteries so I wanted to check, does the motor also have to be powered by batteries so your project can be portable, or is a mains plugpack ok?
Hi Trent,
It will be preferable for the motor to use batteries if applicable. I know realistically may not last as long as the rest of the system but I would like it to last as possible.
The short answer is as low voltage motor as I can get away with. I would speculate 12v as it will need to move one tape directly and one tape indirectly (tension to pull the second.)
Would a smaller voltage motor work well in this case or would I need something larger?
Regards, Timothy
Hi Timothy.
Do these reels etc not have the motors that were in the original recorder??? If so why not use these.
Cheers Bob
Hi Timothy,
Each size of motor will have a different power output, but within that class you can use different gear ratios to trade-off between speed and power.
Since you don’t need much speed you can likely get away with a micro gearmotor that has a high gear reduction.
The best motor for the job as Bob has pointed out will be the original one it was designed with if that is still available.
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