Micro USB Power Breakout Board

[DDJ2011]

Hi,

I just received one of these breakout boards from Sparkfun and hope to power my picaxe projects from my blackberry charger:

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9614

I could have sworn a little while ago that I found a thread here that covers using these, but now I can't seem to find it.

Does anyone have any advice on using them - or could anyone better at searching than me point me at the right thread?

Many thanks,

DDJ

 

[lbenson]

I've used these to power boards. All you need to do is connect the VCC (5V) and GND (0V). Ignore the D+ and D- lines--they are usb signals, and there is no native picaxe provision for handling them. Make sure your charger voltage does not exceed 5V5.

 

[premelec]

One issue that might arise is how 'clean' your charger output is - sometimes spikes and ripple can appear which don't affect battery charging but might affect your PICAXE. On another note there are a bunch of lithium battery packs to produce 5v charging for phones etc - these often have an auto off feature and so require minimum current to stay on - Spark Fun has some as does ebay - I hope someday to find out if brief current pulses will keep these from shutting down [usually in about 2 seconds]... Note that a simple AA battery pack often times is best when starting up a project because of limited energy output when a wiring mistake is made