Averaging and totalling two voltages

[loadlover]

Hi,

Very basic question.

I have a little drone Flight Controller board that can measure the current drawn from the drone's LiPo battery. It doesn't do this directly. Rather, it reads the current as a voltage provided to it by the ESC board which drives the electric motors.

I'm not sure what the voltage range is (it doesn't matter right now), but let's assume that it's 0 to 10 VDC.

Now let's say I have two ESC boards, each measuring the current going through it, and providing this info as a voltage from 0 to 10 VDC.

How can I get a) the total voltage and b) the average voltage? (So that I can measure the current going through both boards with the one Flight Controller?)

Need the solution(s) to be simple and light.

Many thanks.

 

[d123]

Hi,

Use a summing op amp circuit to get the total voltage.

This page shows how to use a summer to get an average: Using the Summing Amplifier as an Average Amplifier.

 

[BradtheRad]

To measure total Amperes, install a low ohm resistor in the supply wire. Its value should be low enough so that it passes sufficient current to allow proper operation, and high enough to generate great enough volt drop so that you can take usable readings.

To measure average Amperes, contrive a couple of resistors and a smoothing capacitor, to obtain an averaged volt level. It should not act as a peak detector. Adjust values so that you are satisfied with the way the output responds to real-time changes as the unit operates.