Fundamentals of electrical power systems
Most DIY robots that you will build use electricity to power all their components. It is possible (but very unusual) to use other sources of energy for the actuators of your robot, such as compressed air, rocket motors, or combustion engines. However, for most DIY robotics projects, electric actuators are the most practical and cost-effective choice.
Since our robots run on electrical power, it is important to equip them with a reliable and appropriately designed power system to make them run. The power system’s main job is to distribute the power from the batteries to the different components of your robot. The power system can be quite simple or quite complex, depending on the robot. It usually contains at least one voltage regulator or DC/DC converter to provide a stable logic voltage, but it might also contain sensors for monitoring voltages, currents, and power consumption, and safety mechanisms to prevent damage to the batteries...
