Another Prop-1 Power Question

[aquawilly54]

I've seen all sorts of power supply questions here...except for this one.  Can the prop-1 be supplied power from a car battery??  I'm going to do something inside my old parked truck for Halloween.  I can run cords and wall warts as needed, but I just happen to think I have 12V sitting under the hood.  Too much??

Steve

[JackMan]

12VDC is 12VDC. Car battery is fine.

[JonnyMac]

Jack is absolutely correct: 12VDC is 12VDC, and a car battery is a good, long term source of 12VDC.

Here's something to keep in mind, though: A car battery is designed to run a starter to crank an engine -- this means it can deliver a lot of current. If you have a short circuit on an output when using a small wall-wart, the wall-wart power supply will often sag which helps mitigate things. That will not be the case with a car battery. So... if there is a circuit where a short is a possibility, and inexpensive in-line fuse is a good idea so that all those cranking amps are not available to run through the ULN before it pops! If you're using the barrel connector we do have a PTC fuse, but that won't engage if you're using the V+/GND terminals to connect power.

[aquawilly54]

Good deal.  I was thinking the same of fuse usage due to all that current, and if I do this I will use the 2.1 jack.  I was not aware of the PTC fuse though.  I'll check into it.

Thanks guys.

Steve

[JonnyMac]

Fast-acting fuses are always a good idea. We're looking at vendors so we can have them (inline fuse holders) available for our customers.