A couple of project logs ago, I said that I had a couple of options with respect to powering QubeCast Max. One was a power supply connected to the breakout board (ProtoQube), and the other was using an alternative Arduino module.

The previous log showed the alternative Arduino and corresponding adapter that I designed. This might be fine for what I need, but I wanted to explore the other option using my ProtoQube board.

So finally the parts arrived! I've written a blog post about the power supply, but here's the cliffnotes.

Rather than connect a breadboard power supply to the ProtoQube board, why didn't I just build the power supply on the board! It's a dual output, dual voltage power supply, using only PTH components. 3.3V and 5V output @ 800mA. Here's the schematic:

Nothing fancy here. The only thing to note is that it needs about 7-12V input to ensure the 5V output isn't too low. Between the voltage drop of the protection diode and the LDO itself, a 6V input ( 4 x AA's) isn't quite high enough.

If anyone's interested, I've put the power supply parts as an option for the ProtoQube board on Tindie