Can you use a switch that can take more power than needed or do you have to get one that is made exactly for the power you are using, no more and no less?

Higher voltage/current switch rating will cause no harm. It's just a conductor. Certainly wouldn't be wise to use a switch with a rating less than the purpose intended. What switch are you referring to?

This is the switch... also, when connecting the wires from the servo controller to the switch and plug (as shown in picture) which wire goes where (between the red and black)

I need you to identify what you have there before giving any more advice, I can't identify it. Don't know what you are hooking up. What does the switch do? What is the plug for? Need more information. As far as the wiring goes, the red wire is the positive (+) and black wire is the negative (-). Maybe there is someone else that knows what it is and can help, I'll bow out for now until more info is available. Sorry, I don't want you to screw something up due to incomplete background info.

Okay.... well the switch turns on the robot, and the plug is to plug in the battery pack, now there are two wires that are connected to the servo controller, the black and the red, and I want to know which to connect to the switch and which to connect to the plug.

Sorry, I'm going to bow out of this one. There are two poles on the switch (or more) and two poles on the battery plug. Don't know if any other wires on on the switch or on the plug and I don't know what the two wires are for on the servo controller other than possible power leads. Looks like it may be a phono plug, if so, the outside connection is the negative and the tip is the positive, provided the battery is wired that way. Without a schematic I can't make a recommendation. Just don't want to have you hook up power to the wrong place and blow it up. Best if you can have someone look at the actual product. I could tell you how I THINK it should be wired but again without seeing it I don't want to try. If this is a manufactured unit contact the people that made it. If it a home-made unit, someone has a schematic. Check around for someone that has a little electronics knowledge to look at it. OK, here's my best guess for information only, I believe the red (+) wire will be connected to the switch and the black (-) wire will go the the negative (outside pole) on the plug, you also need a wire from the positive pole on the plug to the other side of the switch, but if you smoke it don't hold me responsible.

Good luck
Marv

well, if you could take a look at the schematics that would really help... they are on page 6 of this page: http://www.lynxmotion.com/data/l5b-v1.pdf ... I dont undersytamd the... maybe you could interpret them for me? Thank You!

Fine on the wiring diagrams but it still doesn't tell me what you have. The wiring diagrams are for 4 different styles of robotics. Notice the top diagram says it is for a 6vdc/1.8 amp wall pack power supply and the ones under it are diagrams for 7.5vdc/1.8amp power supplies. The only place it indicates use of a battery is when you have a 6vdc power supply and in that case you need an additional 9v battery. Just so you may understand the diagram a little, notice on the left side of the diagrams it looks like a "C" with a tail on it. The tail (like an upside down tree) is a symbol for "ground" or negative. Everywhere you see the upside down tree symbol (thats the best way I can describe it) it means that is where a wire (usually the black one) is connected to the negative terminal to complete the circle of the circuit. The "C" is a pictorial symbol for the plug and indicates it is the outside metal surrounding the plug which is negative or ground. The dot in the center of the "C" is the center of the plug and is the positive (+) power input. A wire lead from the positive side of the power supply goes to one side of the switch (we won't get into switches and just say it is a single pole/single throw (spst) switch) and the other side of the switch is where power is hooked up to run your project. Remember I said the red wire is positive and black wire is negative (ground). Now since there are several diagrams which are apparently using different components there are several ways of hooking up power using a 7.5vdc/1.8amp wall pack. That is as far as I can go not knowing what you have. I suggest that since there is an e-mail address for contacting tech support you that get the correct answer from them directly. E-mail address: [email protected] (First page of the manual) Or call them if you have to, shouldn't cost much for the call and they can have you up and running in a short time. Again, sorry I'm still not able to give you the answer you are looking for but their tech can do it. One more thing about the wall pack (wall wart) power supply. Depending on the output voltage, the size of the plug will vary. Anyone at Radio Shack can provide you with the power supply and matching female plug or match a female plug to a power supply you may already have.
Marv

Hey Thanks for the help... I think I am going to get it now because I just remembered my soon to be brother in law is an electrical engineer... your response rally helped me read the schematics a bit better, can not thank you enough

Brian

Just an additional comment. Looking back at the instructions it may be that you have the setup that uses the 6v power supply. If that is the case then the plug you speak of is for 6v input and it provides power to the servo(s). Do you have one? In addition you need a 9v battery of which size (current capacity) is not specified. For the battery, which may be like one used in a garage door opener or smoke alarm, will apparently provide power to the servo controller and you will need a plug adapter such as the one Radio Shack has, called a "battery connector", Catalog #270-324 for $2.95. In that case, again, red to + and black to - on the battery, no switch shown in the circuit. The diagrams do not show how the servo controller is hooked up to the servo, I would imagine with the plug on the servo but still doesn't show how you get the 6 volt power to the servo. Not very good instructions on the electrical hook ups' so contact with tech service is needed. Be sure to ask about the size of the 9v battery if that is the setup you have.
Marv

Yes that is what I needed to know! Please anytging else you can say???

Thank You so much!!!