Power Consumption and Efficiency of Linear Actuators
I’ve been experimenting with a small automated window system for my greenhouse, and I realized I don’t really understand how much power these actuators draw under normal use versus under load. Some days the solar battery keeps up fine, other days it barely finishes a cycle. I’m trying to figure out whether investing in a more efficient actuator would make a real difference or if it’s better to just upgrade the battery. Has anyone measured or tracked energy usage in these setups over time?
9 Views
I’ve had a similar setup for a retractable shade system, and what I learned is that an actuator’s power draw spikes a lot under load, especially when starting or stopping. A more robust unit with position feedback ended up being way more predictable and didn’t stall as often. I used something like this — https://www.progressiveautomations.com/products/linear-actuator-with-potentiometer — and having the potentiometer feedback allowed the controller to adjust current and avoid wasting energy. Over time, that really helped reduce strain on the batteries and kept the whole system running smoother.