I currently have an arduino set up with a 12v wall wart external power supply going to a small fan and motor and a separate USB power cord going to the arduino's 5v regulator, which then powers the breadboard, arduino, and sensors.
I'm going to get rid of the arduino and just make a standalone version on a breadboard. As I do this, it would be nice if I could combine the power supplies and only use 1 wall wart.
I've done a lot of research, but if anyone here can nudge me further in the right direction I'd be greatly appreciative.
First, I understand that current is important here and I'll need to add up all of the sensors to see how much current I'll need. I suspect that I'm well under what my current 12v wall wart can supply.
But before I get to that stage I want to make sure I am on the right path. Basically, I think (I'm scared of power supplies and not very familiar with electronics) that I can run the 12v wall wart to a 5v regulator (provided I read the data sheet and use capacitors, heat sinks, etc as required) which can then power my microcontroller/standalone arduino/breadboard/senors.
Then, what I'd like to do is also put another wire into the + pin of the screw terminal that receives the 12v wall wart connector. This wire will bypass the breadboard and go directly to the fan and motor. The ground pins of each device will go to separate transistors, which are controlled by the microcontroller.
Am I on the right track? Thanks in advance for your help.
I'm going to get rid of the arduino and just make a standalone version on a breadboard. As I do this, it would be nice if I could combine the power supplies and only use 1 wall wart.
I've done a lot of research, but if anyone here can nudge me further in the right direction I'd be greatly appreciative.
First, I understand that current is important here and I'll need to add up all of the sensors to see how much current I'll need. I suspect that I'm well under what my current 12v wall wart can supply.
But before I get to that stage I want to make sure I am on the right path. Basically, I think (I'm scared of power supplies and not very familiar with electronics) that I can run the 12v wall wart to a 5v regulator (provided I read the data sheet and use capacitors, heat sinks, etc as required) which can then power my microcontroller/standalone arduino/breadboard/senors.
Then, what I'd like to do is also put another wire into the + pin of the screw terminal that receives the 12v wall wart connector. This wire will bypass the breadboard and go directly to the fan and motor. The ground pins of each device will go to separate transistors, which are controlled by the microcontroller.
Am I on the right track? Thanks in advance for your help.