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Upgrade On/Off Switch to Handle Higher Currents #13

Description

@rdrahozal

Description:

Our design currently has an on/off switch to control the state of the LAD. This switch is positioned in series with the 24V power rail and either connects it to the rest of the circuit or leaves it disconnected, depending on the switch state. While this works, the current switch is not robust enough to withstand the large currents (5-6 A) that may appear across it. It is also not very efficient as it causes power losses across the switch.

It is quite common for voltage regulators to have an enable pin. This allows us to control when power is delivered and when it is off. This design will use the switch and pull-down resistors to control the enable pins on the buck converter (and potentially the motor driver). This will allow us to continue using a small switch that fits on the PCB.

Responsibilities:

  • Find buck converter ICs that have an enable pin
  • Identify which power rails we will need to disable to completely shut off power to all board components
  • Design the circuitry to allow the enable pin to be pulled low with a switch
  • Implement the design in Altium schematic

References

  • We recommend using either Altium Manufacturer Part Search or DigiKey to find electronic parts
  • Look into the functionality of pull-down resistors
  • Find a buck converter IC datasheet to reference and learn about its enable pin

Activity

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