Can I use 2nd laptop USB to power Prop Demo Board?

T-Bone

I'm a newbie, so beg pardon if this is a dumb question.

As I'm learning/developing with the Propeller Demo Board, I'm always hooked up to my laptop via USB. I also have to carry around a battery pack to power the Demo Board. The laptop has unused USB ports which can provide 5+ VDC and (according to specs) no more than 2 Amps.

Can I cannibalize an old USB cable, solder on a barrel plug, and use it to power the Demo Board?

My only 5 VDC usage is for a single servo.

Thanks

wjsteele

You sure can... use a type-M jack from Radio Shack and just solder it to an old USB cable's power leads.

BTW... 2 amps from your computer is very high for USB... most of the time they are only 500ma (per the spec.) However, you can also buy a cable from Sparkfun that will do the trick quite nicely. Here is the link: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8639

It looks like they are on backorder, but you can sign up for notification when they arrive. I have about 15 of these cables and love them!

Bill

T-Bone

Hey, thanks. I'm gonna try soldering the M-tip. Cheers