simple boe power question

D Faust

Can I input 6V to the 9V·battery connector for my boe (USB RevC)· I want to do thins becasue 9V battery clips are cheaper than 2.1 mm plugs, and with the plugs you have to get the inside and outside diameters right.· I just want a quick and easy method to apply power.· 9V battery connectors will connect to other 9V battery connectors right?· Thanks.

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Mike Green

Yes. The BoE is designed to use a power supply in the 6V to 9V range. Be careful to hook things up with the right polarity. It's easy to connect 9V battery clips backwards and damage your device. You can only clip them one way, but they sometimes come with one red wire and one black wire and the colors are chosen for connecting to a battery, not providing power in place of a battery.

Post Edited (Mike Green) : 8/18/2007 3:35:41 PM GMT

RDL2004

You could also just plug your wires directly in to the Vin and Vss, but I highly recommend just buying a some 2.1mm plugs. It's cheaper than frying a board or component because of accidental polarity reversal, which is all too easy to do. Believe me I know - I fried a sensirion SHT that way last week [noparse]:([/noparse]

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- Rick

D Faust

Thank you. ·I know what you mean about polarity reversal.· I would do some test hook-ups with other circuits first.· About the 2.1mm plugs that you suggest, do you know the outer diameter or a part number?

I just thought of this:

RDL2004, if I just buy the plugs I have to get the polarity right anyway or I will fry my board.· (I wouldn't buy them pre-attached to a battery pack anyway)· But, I would still like the plug size/part number for future reference.

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RDL2004

Here is the catalog page that has the connectors you need:

www.mouser.com/catalog/631/960.PDF

or just search: 2.1mm kobiconn plug -there are several varieties.

#1710-2110 will work


edit: you can get these from almost every electronics supplier, Mouser is just an example. Look for 2.1mm x 5.5mm.

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- Rick

Post Edited (RDL2004) : 8/19/2007 2:22:57 PM GMT

D Faust

Thanks, I was planning on·getting some parts from them anyway.· I guess that is what·I will buy.

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Twisted Pair

Here you go D Faust. Radio Shack probably has these in stock.


Radio Shack part number, 274-1569. DC Power Plug, 5.5mm OD x 2.1mm ID, 2 pack....


Twisted Pair....

gelfling6

I built a replacement pack for the BOE-Bot, using a NiMH camcorder battery pack, stripping the outside case,
arranging the 5 Sub-C batteries into a pyramid (2 on top of 3), and running two wires from the end cells to
one of the Radioshack plugs mentioned above. For recharging, I simply clip a pair of alligator clips to the 9V sockets
on the Board Of Ed. (reverse polarity, + to the wide, - to the narrow, as if it were a regular battery plugged on.)

I can't seem to rind a source for it, but there was an old radio I had, which was a +6V 4-AA pack, but had a 9V connector
on the end.. (there is also a 6-cell version for full 9V)

IF you plan using the sockets for the 9V, You can wire a 9V wired cap to the 6V source, but (read this with CAUTION! )
run the wires from the cap to the supply reversed. (+ to - & - to +) Make sure you wire it correctly, or you
risk cooking the 7805 regulator. (the one on the board, and next to go will be the one on the BS2 itself! )

I've even made an adapter for the 7.5V NiMH RC Car battery for the old VEX, to the mini barrel connector.. (using the 9.6V RC
Car Battery repair kit Radioshack sells.) works just as well. same idea..

Hope this helps too!

Stephen

D Faust

Thanks for the advice.

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Whit

RDL2004 said...
I highly recommend just buying some 2.1mm plugs. It's cheaper than frying a board or component because of accidental polarity reversal

Great idea. Thanks also for the link! Don't know how I missed this when it was posted. Glad it resurfaced.

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Whit+


"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney

RDL2004

As D Faust pointed out, you still have to make sure you wire up the plugs correctly in the first place [noparse]:)[/noparse] That's not hard to do though, and after that you're good to go.

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- Rick

D Faust

RDL2004 said...
As D Faust pointed out, you still have to make sure you wire up the plugs correctly in the first place [noparse]:)[/noparse] That's not hard to do though, and after that you're good to go.

Yeah, like the 9V snaps, they are one way too.· The plugs are·the prettier solution though.

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cyplesma

I'll second the polarity on the 9vdc snap connectors, radio shack sells 4 or 5 in a pkg five a few dollars.

way back in the mid 80's I bought a wall wart, cracked the case, soldered an old ironing ac power cord (iron was dead, stripped it for parts like I do with most electronic stuff) to the wires that connected to the ac plugs on the case.

wired the dc output to a switch and then to a female RCA type connector (not really the best idea, but this was before the internet and before radio shack carried the dc plugs and jacks) I wired a male rc plug to a 9 vdc snap connector.

then glued the transformer laminates into a plastic box, oh yeah I even included a led (with resistor, but not on a pcb, heatshrink tubing). so I know when the dc out has power.

a safer thing to do would to put a 2d2p on off switch on the ac side, make sure you wire it so you use one ac wire to each pole on the switch, too make sure that if you have the switch in the off position you have both the neutral and the hot wires switched off.

don't want the hot wire to be connected when you accidentally leave it plugged in when you open the case.