Hippogriff
Member
For years I have been using PICs at 5V and RGB LED strips at 12V. Sometimes I power my circuits from AA battery packs (12V) and sometimes from a wall-wart PSU (also 12V), so I have made great use of voltage regulators like the 7805, MAX667 and ADP667 (when I couldn't get the MAX667) for the PIC.
I've now moved wholly over to the WS2812B RGB LED strips... individually addressable, seemingly just as bright, initial PITA to get working... but 5V! Yay!
Thinking how ubiquitous USB is, I've just ordered some USB female sockets and I've going to try and use these for power in the next circuit. Different USB ports seem to provide 500mA, 1A and 1.5A (and you may never know what you're gonna get) - but they all should push out 5V. My question is - if I create a circuit designed to be powered by USB - whether that be something from a USB wall-wart, a PC's USB port or even one of those household plug sockets with USB sockets built into them... can I get rid of my voltage regulators? Is there anything (gotchas?) that I need to be aware of before I rush headlong into this?
I've now moved wholly over to the WS2812B RGB LED strips... individually addressable, seemingly just as bright, initial PITA to get working... but 5V! Yay!
Thinking how ubiquitous USB is, I've just ordered some USB female sockets and I've going to try and use these for power in the next circuit. Different USB ports seem to provide 500mA, 1A and 1.5A (and you may never know what you're gonna get) - but they all should push out 5V. My question is - if I create a circuit designed to be powered by USB - whether that be something from a USB wall-wart, a PC's USB port or even one of those household plug sockets with USB sockets built into them... can I get rid of my voltage regulators? Is there anything (gotchas?) that I need to be aware of before I rush headlong into this?