R2 Electronics Build Part 2: Voltage and Step Downs Demystified!

How do you decide what voltage to run to the various devices in your droid? Why not just step down to whatever voltage(s) you need whenever you need them? Here I share some valuable lessons I learned from some fellow builders and discover why my decision to step down to 12V is probably not the best idea. This video series will follow me as I build out the electronics system for my full-size R2D2. This is very much going to be a learning process for me, and I thought it would be valuable for others to see how this system evolves as I start from the beginning and incrementally add to it. I have never built anything like this before, and I no doubt will learn a lot as I go. Even as I start this process, I still have many unanswered questions and I will be sure to share the answers with you as I learn them along the way. If nothing else, I hope this series will help folks understand the "why" as much as the "how". 3D print files available from Mr. Baddeley:   / mrbaddeley   (R2 files are available for free, but become a Patron to access dozens of other fun, Star-Wars-inspired 3D-printable droids). Best resource for droid building: https://astromech.net/forums/index.php