Here is an idea for powering your spark core and have power for your sensors etc. I found these solderless breadboard power supplies on ebay (many sellers of them) that plug into the breadboard. They have jumpers that allow you to put 5 volts or 3.3 volts on the power rails of the breadboard. You could have 3.3 on one side and 5 on the other, or the same on each side. It does not matter. It also has an on off switch.
You can power the power supply through a USB connector or through the power input connector. It is the same one/size as on an arduiono. I found a 9 volt clip to 2.1mm DC power plug and a 4 AA battery case that has a 9 volt clip on it. So now I can power my core/breadboard from a 9 volt battery or 4 AA batteries (using the 9 volt clip) , or the USB port.
@kreeve These are awesome, and I had actually not seen them before! These could make a really cool addition to the Spark Maker Kit…I certainly would want one when breadboarding projects.
I’ll add it to my to-do list and let you know what I can find at volume!
Hi Will, you mention “I certainly would want one when breadboarding projects.” - I’m a little confused what one would do when a project is past the breadboarding stage but still in need of power? What options does one have? Thanks!
@daneboomer If you’re past the breadboarding stage, then that means you’re using a semi-permanent to permanent solution for wiring your circuit, like a hand-soldered proto-board or custom fabricated PCB. In either of those cases, you would want to wire power (battery, USB, etc.) directly to the VIN or 3V3 rails. A lot of people use female headers (like on many of our shields) to facilitate a connection between the Core and the power source.
