You do hits some very good points in your original post, Kos. I haven't read through the whole 5 pages but I gotta clarify a few inaccuracies in your original post.
1)
Your definitions of energy and power are misleading/inaccurate. You say current is energy and voltage is power. Most people won't even understand the true definitions anyways.
2)
You also state that motors draw as much current as they need, and this isn't totally accurate. We're dealing with DC motors NOT AC motors. AC motors will draw as much current as they need to reach their rated Speed - this is due to AC power being sinusoidal at 60Hz (50Hz in Europe). DC power is not sinusoidal so if you:
- Use the same type of battery cells
- Increase the voltage (ie. add one more cell)
= You'll push MORE current into the AEG DC motor.
Here's some testing done by an airsoft player proving this:
http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=57571
Quote:
7.2V 3300MaH Sub C battery - 72 Watts @ approx 10 amps
8.4V 3700MaH Sub C battery - 96 Watts @ approx 11 amps
9.6V 1700MaH RIS battery - 92 Watts @ approx 9.5 amps
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Note the 1700mah mini battery can only push 9.5 amps. The previous two Sub C packs have similar discharge characteristics and prove my point.
If you look at the "Motor Current Vs Load" graph here (
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips5/motor_tips.html ), it also shows that as you increase voltage (loaded) you'll push slightly more current.
This leads me to the point you make:
3)
Quote:
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The second thing that has to be considered, is that the higher the voltage, the more heat the wires will have to support and the more chance there is that the trigger contacts arc.
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Heat is more related to the current flowing through the wires, not the voltage. It's like fluid flowing through a pipe, the faster it flows, the more friction is generated (thus more heat). This is why when you spec wires for a system you generally use the current going through them (
http://www.interfacebus.com/Copper_Wire_AWG_SIze.html). Although more voltage does mean more current in our case.
You're bang on with the arcing issue and higher voltages, though.
EDIT: I'm a Mechanical Engineer, BTW, but am trying to unlock the mysteries of electricity for myself. The guys I work with are very helpful.
EDIT2: Forgot a link.