I have an Arduino Uno hooked to an LCD03 and 2 Sharp infrared sensors (GP2Y0A…) When I plug more than two sensors (Sharp GP2YOA…) into my breadboard, the LCD03 begins to behave erratically…the background light flashes on and off inconsistently and the display is altered. There are also 2 motors hooked up as well as an MD25. Is this a power supply problem? Should I give an alternate 5V supply to sensors 3 and 4? If so, can you recommend a 5V supply that would interface with .1" connectors from the sensors? Is there something other than the power supply that is causing it to malfunction?
If you need mobile power, then this battery could be good for you: RB-Dfr-160
It should be able to provide enough current for your display and sensors, and it can be charged by applying 9V to its terminal.
You should not mix the logic supply on your circuit because it will make your devices work at different logic levels, which will result in miss-communication
That is definitely a power supply issue. Please make sure you are powering everything that needs regulation trough the built-in regulator, but anything else, such as motors, directly form a battery or another power source.
If you need additional power, you could use something like this: RB-Spa-108
You could use this adapter and jumper wires to connect it to your pins: RB-Dfr-182
I solved the problem by using a 9V battery pack which I purchased from RobotShop previously, shown here:
robotshop.com/adafruit-9v-battery-case-switch-barrel-connector.html
Now I can operate all 4 sensors at once! I may buy the battery pack you recommended…it looks like
it may have more endurance than the 9V. I appreciate your help…you pointed me in the right direction.
Would this work? --> How about if I just use a 2 AA battery pack, shown here: robotshop.com/sfe-2-aa-battery-holder-w-switch.html to power the extra sensors? I see from the spec sheet for the Sharp GP2Y0A21 sensor that its required input voltage ranges from -0.3 to +7.0 volts. The 2 AA battery pack would provide 3.0 volts. I would use the RB-Spa-108 power supply that you suggested, but I need the power supply to be self-contained/mobile, so that the robot doesn’t need to be connected to a wall socket. I could splice some wires with male headers, such as these: robotshop.com/sfe-jumper-wires-premium-12-m-f-pack-of-100.html to the battery pack wires, and then plug these male headers into my breadboard. Do you think this will work? Any reason why it shouldn’t? Would 3.0 volts be enough to power at least one sensor? Should I use a 3 AA battery pack, to provide 4.5 volts?