I don’t have a background in electronics or robotics but am looking to get started on this as a new hobby. I do have some background in python and machine learning and would eventually like to do something with reinforcement learning, 3D printing and lego. For now, I’m taking baby steps and getting my basic hardware set up.
What are your recommendations for powering the Servo 2040 - 18 Channel Servo Controller (see Servo 2040 - 18 Channel Servo Controller | Buy in Australia | PIM613 | Core Electronics ). I’m intending to use it with up to 18 5V micro servos (e.g. Tower Pro SG92R Micro Servo, FS90MG 2.2kg Metal Gear Micro Servo) so ideally would like to take advantage of the full 10A max continuous current available on the Servo 2040. It seems odd to me that the Servo 2040 doesn’t have an easy/recommended approach for powering the servos, but I suspect it’s largely my lack of basic understanding at play.
A Mean Well power supply like this seems to often be recommended on forums:
However while it’s 5V 10A, it has the warning “This power supply requires wiring to mains power - only qualified electricians are certified to install.” which is beyond what I’m comfortable with.
A pre-built 5V 10A “laptop-style” brick with an IEC inlet seems like what I’m looking for. Something like this from adafruit would be good:
however it’s not available and I’ve noticed it’s out of stock in many places. I’m wondering if I’m likely to be able to get it directly from adafruit in the U.S.:
or are they actually out of stock and/or don’t ship single units internationally?
There’s a handful of similar options but these are generally also out of stock and/or look pretty shonky:
Is there a technical reason why it’s so difficult to find a 5V 10A power supply?
If I manage to get something along these lines, I still need something to connect the 2.1mm DC Barrel plug into the 2040’s screw terminals. I’m guessing I use something like this:
although Gemini suggested it may only be rated for 5A and not 10A, although I don’t know where it gets its information from, as I can’t see the technical details on the purchase page.
I would also need connecting wires. Do I need to make a custom cable, get a crimping tool, perhaps use fork connectors, or is there some pre-made option I can use instead?
As an alternative, I could go down the LiPo battery pack + DC-DC buck converter route, although it seems a bit more complicated and risky. I would appreciate specific product suggestions on this front, and I’m guessing I might end up here eventually either way if I make something that wants to move around. For the battery, I gather I probably need a 2S LiPo (7.4V) or higher to get >5V. For the converter, ChatGPT suggested most hobby buck converters only handle 2-3A so I’d need to go with something higher powered, such as:
but if I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting to have to spend $165 on a power regulator just to get my $60 servo controller to work.
As a cheaper route in the short term, I have a Pi-5 power adapter which gives 5V 5A, which would be enough to get started (~8 servos). I was thinking it would be handy to be able to direct power from USB-C to the screw terminals, perhaps using something like this, although I’m not sure exactly what I’m looking for:
Appreciate any thoughts/advice/feedback on any of the above.
