Power supply

I got my two imps and 2 of the Sparkfun shield boards.
So right now I’m playing with one board just sitting on top of an arduino for power. The arduino isn’t talking to the imp. So I want to get away from powering the imp that way and hook up a battery or wall wart. What are my options? I’m a somewhat beginner at all this and haven’t found any info on this, its still new so there isn’t a lot of basic info out there that I have found.

So is there a good battery to use?

Can I use a 6volt wall wart wired up to it or do I need to regulate it before it gets to the board? (I wish I understood datasheets, I know)

Where should I attach the power also? Do I just hook up the power to the 3v3 or 5v power port and ground?

Any help on this would be awesome. Thanks. I’m trying to not break these things to quickly.

No problem Jay, let’s get you running.

The sparkfun arduino shield has a 3.3V regulator on-board. This can get you a good 3.3V supply for your imp just by hooking up your wall wart to the 5V input on the sparkfun board. Your 6V wall wart should be fine.

To answer your question directly: connect the 6V line from the wall wart to the 5V pin on your shield, and connect the Ground line from the wall wart to the GND line on the shield. MAKE SURE you do not switch the two, as this will most certainly break your imp.

A little further edification, if you’re interested: the regulator on your shield is a type of regulator called an LDO. The one on this shield is designed to deliver just enough power to keep your imp running, so be wary of trying to drive anything with your 3.3V supply on the shield, as the regulator may not be able to meet the demand. If you notice the LDO becoming excessively warm, you’re asking it for too much current.