Hello,
I'm putting together a small PCB with a PIC MCU and an ethernet port, and I would like this unit to be mobile. Thus, I need to design my power supply to handle a battery pack and then regulate the voltage so it can be used by the microcontroller. I would like to use AA batteries.

Does anybody have particular tips on using batteries?
Is it as simple as a bypass capacitor and a voltage regulator (like an LDO), and then I can go straight to the MCU?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Yes it is that simple. Make sure to use the caps recommended for the regulator.

 

and then I can go straight to the MCU?

That depends on the type of battery and the number in series and the voltage requirements of you mcu.

 

Chapters 2 and 8 in the Compiled Tips n Tricks guide would be a good start.

 

Use 3 AA's in series for 4.5V and toss the LDO.

DO add a P-MOSFET for reverse voltage protection.