Batteries:
   Calculon requires two 12 Volt batteries. They are put in series to make a 24 Volt system. The batteries used by Calculon have a capacity of 55 Amp Hours. Any 12 Volt battery that fits inside the battery containers can be used, but you should use batteries with that can hold a large charge. Otherwise, the vehicle will not run for long.

24 Volt DC to AC Inverter:
   The 24 Volt DC to AC Inverter on Calculon supplies power to the digital video camera and notebook computer. Although it would be more efficient to use a direct DC supply to these devices, we did not want to damage the cables used by the notebook computer and camera. Also, both devices use voltages different than the standard 5, 12, and 24 Volts already available. The 24 Volt Inverter is attached directly to the batteries.
   Note: The notebook computer attached to it requires a large amount of current to work. Therefore, you must turn on power to the inverter first, wait 10 seconds, and then power the notebook. Failure to do this will result in the inverter not gaining enough charge to supply power to the notebook, and it will beep in a very annoying manner.

24-24 Volt DC-DC Converter
    The 24 to 24 Volt DC to DC Converter used is made by VICOR with the model number: VI-JW3-EX/F1. This supplies a regulated 24 Volts to our SICK LIDAR, and DGPS unit. You may ask, "Why do you converter 24 Volts to 24 Volts?", Well we do this because when batteries are fully charged, they will hold more than their normal voltage. For example, a 12 V battery may charge to 13.5 Volts. So if we have two batteries in series, we may have a toal 27 volts, which would destroy our LIDAR unit. Since our LIDAR is over $5k, we don't want to do this. The converter has an efficiency of 90% and will give us 24 V even if our power supply goes below 24 V. This converter is directly connected to our mounting plate, where all of our power cables are connected to. The schematic of this plate is in the wiring diagrams section of power documentation.

24-12 Volt DC-DC Converter:
    The 24 to 12 Volt DC to DC Converter used is made by VICOR with the model number: VI-211-EU/F1. This supplies a regulated 12 Volts to our custom PCB, which goes to our compass, cooling fans, and magnetic encoders. The converter has an efficiency of 90% and will give us 24 V even if our power supply goes below 12 V. Of course, if that did happen, the vehicle wouldn't move, but at least our compass will work!

Printed Circuit Board:
   To help reduce wires and other clutter that can build up when routing power, a printed circuit board is also used for power distribution. The main purpose of the custom PCB created was to interface to the wheel chair electronics, but as a bonus, it also routes power. The board takes the 12 Volts from the 24-12 V Converter, and routes it to a few ports, and supplies power to the magnetic wheel encoders. This board also uses a 7805 chip to provide an additional 5 Volts, just in case it is ever needed. In addition to receiving the 12 Volts from the converter, the board receives a 5 Volt supply from the wheel chair electronics. This 5 Volt supply is used to power the PIC microcontrollers and nothing else. Power routed from this board is then wired to our mounting plate, where all power cables connect to. The schematic of this plate is in the wiring diagrams section of power documentation.