Electronics question

Any Sparkys among us? I have this plant turntable I just got that is supposed to rotate a pot so it get's even sun. Runs on 3 C batteries. No pwr adaptor. I want to rig up a universal pwr supply (or maybe one of the 20 or so I have lying around) to power it. Not sure what output to look for, voltage and amperage. The 3 C batteries go in with the middle one opposite than the other two, if that helps. If it works, I may get some more and possibly rig up some kind of pwr supply that can run a bunch of 'em. I figure I can get appropriate jacks from RS and mount them in the device and be able to plug a bunch of 'em in. How hard is this?

pics of the wiring would help

jesus of Cannabis said:

pics of the wiring would help

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Ok..haven't opened one up yet but I will.

I believe a C cell is 1.5V. So you'll want a 4.5VDC power supply.

I'll get a universal supply that lets you switch to the voltage you want. Once I get that right, I may try and see if I can get some cheap hobby solar panels that work. I could hang them right on the wall of my grow room.

Hugo is right, each bat is 1.5V they are in series so you need 4.5V I once bought a universal AC adapter from Rakio shack that you can dial in different voltages, looks like a cell phone charger.
Good Luck

DeeTee said:

Hugo is right, each bat is 1.5V they are in series so you need 4.5V I once bought a universal AC adapter from Rakio shack that you can dial in different voltages, looks like a cell phone charger.
Good Luck

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Yeah, I have one of those. I haven't tried it yet, but 4.5 is one of the available voltages. Those things come with a variety of tips that you insert in the end of the cable, and you can reverse the +/- for the inner and outer contacts by simply reversing the tip. How do I know which wire on the universal to connect to + or - on the turntable? Is it simply a matter that reversing the polarity will reverse the motor?

I am psyched about the little solar panels from RS. They come in various voltages and wattages. The 4.5v is available in .5w, 1w and 1.5w. I wonder which, if any, would work for this thing, or if a panel might work for more than one. I put batteries in and tried it; it draws current and turns it just a little way each time. The TEST mode does this every 15 seconds. There are positions 1 and 2 for frequency otherwise, no idea what they are yet.

Voltage depends on the battery chemistry.


1.5 V is the initial voltage of an alkaline battery. The average voltage under load is closer to 1.2V. Fully dischaged they are around 1.0 V.


Ni-Cd cells average around 1.2 V. Voltage doesn't change much with discharge.


4.5 V is a good voltage to work with. I would guess between 6-3 V will work.


Looks like there is a capacitor with polarity on the motor. You may not be able to reverse it by swapping + and -.

I would do a test grow using batteries before doing mods.

jujubee said:

Voltage depends on the battery chemistry.


1.5 V is the initial voltage of an alkaline battery. The average voltage under load is closer to 1.2V. Fully dischaged they are around 1.0 V.


Ni-Cd cells average around 1.2 V. Voltage doesn't change much with discharge.


4.5 V is a good voltage to work with. I would guess between 6-3 V will work.


Looks like there is a capacitor with polarity on the motor. You may not be able to reverse it by swapping + and -.

I would do a test grow using batteries before doing mods.

Click to expand...

Good idea re: test with batteries. Now that I know it doesn't run continuously they may not be depleted all that fast. Thanks.

Truthfully, after seeing what you have, I'd go with rechargeable batteries. Cheaper and easier in the long run.