Regen Control - Roboclaw 2x15A Motor Controller

Hi,

I am trying to determine if I need additional hardware in my electrical circuit. The documentation for the Roboclaw motor controller states that it has regenerative voltage/current features that may need to be dealt with, however this is mainly aimed at situations where the controller is powered by a bench power supply which doesn’t help me. I am using this controller to power two Gobuilda motors in a differential track drive robot. The controller is powered by a LiPo Battery, and I’m wondering if I will run into any electrical issues when the motors stop and/or change directions if all I have between the LiPo battery and the controller is a switch and a fuse. I am hesitant to place a diode between the controller and the battery (like what is suggested in the documentation) as I feel like LiPo batteries are fussy about how they are charged.

So I guess my question is ultimately, do I need any additional hardware and/or implement something in software to control the regeneration?

1 Like

Hi Luke,

Given the size of the motors and controller I’m guessing you’re using a big RC/Hobby pack with tons of current capacity, so the only thing you’ll have to worry about is voltage. I can see that p47 of the User Manual goes over how to set up a voltage clamp circuit. I believe this means that the controller will watch the regenerative charging voltage, and if it goes too high, drive the gate on a MOSFET to allow some current through a power resistor to dissipate it and prevent excessive voltage being applied across the battery.

If you need a hand with hints on applying this, let me know.

1 Like

This seems somewhat conflicting. Page 47 of the user manual states “When using power supplies regenerative voltage spikes will need to be dissipated” but the circuit diagram shows a battery not a power supply. Also the data sheet for the 2x15 Amp version suggests that the voltage clamp circuit doesn’t need to be implemented when it is powered by a battery, only lab power supplies etc require this. I’m confused, should I implement a voltage clamp or not? If not, will the LiPo battery handle the charging not done by a smart charger or similar.