I have a few recommendations:
If you have the potential for loose contact, you will have problems regardless of a capacitor.
It would take a decent sized capacitor (I forget the math, the formula is on the 'net, R/C time constant formula). You have a load (Roboard @ 500 mA, 6V minimum in, 12 ohm "perceived / calculated" load), then you just need to know how long you want to sustain the load (how much the voltage can allowably drop), which will tell you how many uF's you need. Rate your cap at > 6v (or > whatever your source voltage is).
With loose contacts, chances are, current handling and resistance in the connection will cause problems. Arcing and sparking will cause carbon buildup, which will cause an increase in resistance the more the connection "jitters".
Losing power to Roboard shouldn't cause it to fail outright, but it might scramble the hard drive (microSD card) data if reading or writing during the power loss.
Your best bet is to use good connectors, and good wire. I like the silicone high strand count stuff where flexibility is required.
Protecting against polarity reversal is easy, just use polarized connectors that can not mechanically get plugged in wrong, and always check, check, and re-check when adding such connectors (new battery packs, etc).
Don't use a fuse, it probably won't act quick enough. Semiconductors pop fast.
Take Care,
Paul
Statistics: Posted by PaulL — Sat Sep 04, 2010 7:19 pm
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