I have three circuits which I use to animate my animatronic figure. They all require 5 VDC to operate and I am using an 8 Amp PC power supply to supply it. The circuits are a Lynxmotion/Robotshop SSC-32 serial servo controller, a custom design AAEF board, Audio Amplifier and Envelope Follower and an Arduiono Mega with a Adafruit Music Maker shield. In total, there is less than a 100ma draw. Note, the servos do draw a significant amount of power, hence the 8A rating of the power supply.
Someone on the Robotshop forum recommended drawing power from the unused servo drive pins, which I have done in this configuration. And someone on the Arduino forum suggested powering from a 5VDC regulated supply through the USB connection using a scavenged USB Type B connector and cable. Which I have also done.
Since the SSC32 servo power pins are configured for a relatively high current draw, using unused pins as a bus is feasible. And powering the Arduino through the USB port protects the power inputs, which may be dangerous if used incorrectly. My research proved it could be possible, if all three pins were used and a protection diode added.
Item 15 is the power for the AAEF circuit. Its rather straightforward. 16 is the power for the Arduino Mega, sent through a cut off USB cable with a type B connector.
17 is the signal ground. When programming or debugging, the Arduino Mega will be powered by another power source. The Signal ground is used so the Arduino has a point of reference for the AAEF envelope signal and SSC-32 serial communications when te Arduino is powered from a second source.
18 are the two serial communications wires: TX1-RX2 and RX1-TX2.
19 is the signal wire for the audio envelope, which is used to determine the mouth movement.
Not all wiring is shown. There is a SPDT switch on the digital inputs, used for A-Code program control. And all servo wiring is not shown as well.
