The Battery Tray serves multiple purposes:
Even if you don’t mount your batteries on the tray, you should still attach the tray to the platform. The tray - with or without batteries - provides significant structural strength and stability to the entire system if installed.
The battery tray can accommodate either one or two 12 V, 8 amp-hour sealed lead acid batteries depending on your power and load requirements. Batteries such as the PowerSonic #1270 or equivalent work well.
If you are building a two-battery system, follow these instructions and the ones at the beginning of Step 29. If you’re only going to build a one-battery system, then follow these instructions for your single battery and refer to the Single Battery Configuration instructions at the end of Step 29. The Arlo Full Kit includes both the one and two-battery system components.
Important! Make sure you tape over the uncrimped wire ends (as mentioned above) – this will help prevent any accidental shorting of the batteries until they’re ready for their final connections. Be absolutely sure you have fully covered the exposed wire. Once connected to the batteries it is very important you do not allow wire ends to touch each other!
For the Single-Battery Configuration diagram, click here or scroll to the end of this step.
Before you install anything: the (4) counter-sunk side of the mounting holes (that fasten the tray to the bottom of the motor mount blocks) should be facing down (opposite side of where the batteries and standoffs are) so that the flat head screws will seat properly when the battery assembly is connected to the motor mount and wheel assemblies.
Note: The physical size of the batteries (that are included in the Arlo Complete Robot System) may vary slightly due to battery manufacturing tolerances. Therefore, it may not be necessary or feasible to install the middle retention posts. If you choose not to install the central posts, there are other optional holes to install retention posts on the outsides of the battery tray (close to the terminals) which have been outlined in the above image with an orange box. Use the best configuration for your battery size and setup.
If you’re using the standard 12 V, 7.5 Ah sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries (that come with the Arlo Complete Robot System), the (included) 5/8” F/F standoffs and #4-40 x ½” long pan-head screws will hold them securely as shown. The staggered hole patterns accommodate slight dimensional variances between different brands of batteries. Use the (staggered) holes that provides for the tightest retention of each of the batteries.
This completes the installation of the batteries and the battery tray.
If you wish to mount a single 12 battery to the Arlo Platform instead, use the following Single-Battery Configuration shown here:
Complete battery tray installation by following the tray mounting-procedures as outlined in the double-battery configuration instructions, above.