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Subject: 
RCX 2.0 Power Supply
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains
Date: 
Wed, 15 Sep 2004 15:00:29 GMT
Viewed: 
487 times
  
I’ve crossposted to .trains because this will be useful for those wanting to run LDCC with an RCX 2.

Hi All,

I’ve posted some photos on Brickshelf of an external power supply for the RCX 2. The nice part about the design is that program memory is retained when external power is removed. The other nice thing is that no mods are necessary to the RCX (though if you want the battery cover to fit snugly, you may need to put a small notch in the cover for the power cable to exit). The power cable is easily removed when you want to convert back to battery operation.



Here’s a peek at the schematic:



For construction details, please see the notes.txt file and other photos in my Brickshelf folder.

For trainheads interested in using this with LDCC: As an experiment, by temporarily shorting one or two of the diodes (on the 12V path) with a small piece of wire, you can get a higher track voltage. I felt safe trying this out because the nominal voltage rating for the RCX H-bridges is 12V (max is 16V), other analog components should be able to handle an extra volt or two, and the CPU and RAM are supplied by a 5V regulator. Anyways, with the higher track voltage the locomotives were much zippier, however, I’ve only tested this for a little while so proceed with caution if you’d like to try this out yourself.

Mark



Message has 3 Replies:
  Re: RCX 2.0 Power Supply
 
(...) On a marginally related note, does someone out there have the equipment to accurately test the output voltage of some typical dc power supplies like the one used for this external ps? I tested every ps I could find in my house (probably 20 or (...) (20 years ago, 15-Sep-04, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains)
  Re: RCX 2.0 Power Supply
 
(...) Indeed, the input capacitor of the RCX is rated 10V, so I would not do that for a too long time. This 1000µF capacitor, used to keep memory during battery exchange, is directly connected to RCX board supply input. By the way, this capacitor is (...) (20 years ago, 15-Sep-04, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains, FTX)
  RCX Power Booster
 
(...) On a closely related topic, here's a circuit diagram for an RCX output booster. Put one of these on each RCX output that you want to use to drive a train or a more powerful motor (RCC motor?) (URL) The circuit will control a higher power (...) (20 years ago, 16-Sep-04, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.trains, FTX)

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