woensdag 14 april 2010

Electronic component: MAX756

I Wondered if it is possible to run an Arduino on 1 battery. Obviously, there are problems. The Atmega won't run on anything lower than 3.3v. As one battery gives 1.5v, we are a bit short on volts.

Luckily, there is the MAX756. This IC has the possibility to increase the voltage. Of course this has a disadvantage, the amount of Ampere will decrease. So, you are (more) limited on how much you can power.

The following circuit will accept anything between 0.7 an 5v, so you can also use 2 batteries if you want. The output is 5v, more than enough to power you arduino.

You will need the following components:
1 x MAX756
1 x 22 uH axial RF choke
1 x 1N5817 Schottky diode
2 x 1 uF Electrolytic Capacitator
2 x 100 uF Electrolytic Capacitator

 The MAX756 is quite expensive in low quantities, I bought one for 5€. If you find them cheaper, please let me know.