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Fixing the stupid AI (never listen to an AI) (#276)
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* Fixing the AI content after a review (never listen to an AI, kids)
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texasdiaz authored Jun 24, 2024
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64 changes: 38 additions & 26 deletions docs/source/tech_tips/tech-tips.rst
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.. _calculatepower:

In this Tech Tip of the Week we’ll be exploring mechanical and electrical
power, why some types of power are calculated differently for motors versus
servos, and how to use this calculated power to compare servos. This Tech
Tip was written and fact-checked with the help of Google Gemini 1.5 Flash
using Google AI Studio.
power, why some types of power are calculated differently, and how to use
this calculated power to compare servos. This Tech Tip was written and
fact-checked with the help of Google Gemini 1.5 Flash using Google AI
Studio.

The fundamental concept we need to understand is power. We are generally
concerned with two similar but different kinds of power, so let’s look at
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**no-load speed** reflecting their ability to hold a position against a force
and how fast they move when unloaded. While electrical power is calculated
generally the same for both types of devices, these design and use
differences have a big impact on how mechanical power is calculated.
differences have an impact on how mechanical power is determined.

Both motors and servos calculate **electrical power** the same, using the
standard electrical power formula:
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power, so the maximum number of fully-stalled REV Smart Servos the SPM can
supply full power to is 7 (90W divided by 12W, ignoring the remainder).

Motors and servos calculate mechanical power differently. Because motors are
rated for continuous power output, and thus generally convert electrical
energy into pure mechanical power, motor mechanical power and electrical
power are calculated the same.

- *Motor Mechanical Power(W) = volts(V) x amps(A)*
Motors and servos also generally calculate mechanical power similarly.

- *Mechanical Power(W) = torque (N-m) x angular speed (rad/s)*

Mechanical Power for a DC motor generally follows a very specific curve,
based on its efficiency, stall current, stall torque, speed, and a bunch of
other factors. The general performance curve of a DC motor can be seen in
Figure 1.

.. figure:: images/dc-motor-curve.*
:width: 75%
:align: center
:alt: DC Motor Performance Curves

Servo mechanical power is calculated a bit differently due to the
fact that servos convert electrical energy into mechanical motion, not pure
mechanical power. Because of this, the torque, speed, load, efficiency, and
duty cycle of the servo has to be accounted for, making it very complicated
to calculate perfectly. Instead, a reasonable approximation is:
Figure 1: General DC Motor Performance Curve

- *Servo Mechanical Power(W) = 0.25 x stall torque(N-m) x no-load speed(rad/s)*
From this we can see that the Peak Power is found at the intersection of 1/2
Stall Torque and 1/2 Speed. Even though a servo is used different than a
generic motor, this approximation is still good for calculating the maximum
mechanical power of a servo. Simplified, we can use this formula:

- *Servo Max Mechanical Power(W) = 0.25 x stall torque(N-m) x no-load speed(rad/s)*

Using this approximation the REV Smart Servo, when being provided 6V,
produces a maximum Stall Torque of 13.5kg-cm (1.33N-m) and a time of 0.14s
per 60 degrees of travel (7.48rad/s) yielding an approximate max servo
mechanical power of 2.48W.

.. tip::

It’s important to understand that this formula is often written in an
equivalent form representing the product of half the maximum stall torque
(when the servo is unable to move) and half the no-load angular speed (when
the servo is not pushing against any force other than its own internal
friction). Using this approximation the REV Smart Servo, when being
provided 6V, produces a maximum Stall Torque of 13.5kg-cm (1.33N-m) and a
time of 0.14s per 60 degrees of travel (7.48rad/s) yielding an approximate
servo mechanical power of 2.48W.
It's important to point out that a high speed motor or servo that is
loaded past its maximum power point will actually do worse than a
slower motor or servo with the same load. It's all about getting the
maximum mechanical power by operating the motor at the max power
point.

One of the most difficult parts of calculating Servo Mechanical Power is
working with unit conversions, especially since servo manufacturers use lots
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- Speed
- Torque
- Stall Current
- Power
- Max Power
- Cost ($USD)
* - `Tetrix MAX Standard (HiTec HS-485HB) <https://www.pitsco.com/TETRIX-MAX-Standard-Scale-Servo-Motor>`__
- 0.18 s/60°
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