I will be powering 3 max7219 (fully loaded with LED'S…3 sets of 64), 1 16x2 LCD screen, and of course the Uno.
What I am wondering is I saw this shield:
http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/Energy-Shield-p-1373.html
and is it compatible with this battery.
Does anyone have a better idea for battery to connect. The longer it lasts the happier I am. LOL
Thanks in advance for all help.
To estimate battery life, divide the battery capacity in milliampere hours (mAh), by the average current draw of your circuit, in milliamperes (mA).
So you're saying that battery will work with that shield then ?
sensai:
So you're saying that battery will work with that shield then ?
According to the spec sheet, yes, it should work for the basic Arduino. Whether an Arduino plus 192 LEDs + 16x2 LCD screen will work on the max 750mA that the energy shield delivers, I don't know. You need to do the calculations, or use a power meter when you are powering it from the wall socket.
I suspect you will not have enough power, unless each LED can draw no more than 2ma (1ma is better) or most of the LEDs are off at any particular time. The LEDs are probably going to be pretty dim at that level (things like neopixels draw 20ma for each LED when it is at full brightness). In addition, the 16x2 LCD probably draws quite a bit of power, particularly for the back light. An Oled display might draw less power (25ma typically).
In addition, you probably need to worry about heat if the shield/battery are delivering 750ma.
You probably need to move up to batteries that can deliver 5 volts at 2 amps (or higher) to light all of those LEDs at the same time. Many batteries meant to recharge cell phones via a USB cable can deliver up to 1-2 A, but if you are going through the USB interface, you might not see that much power.
Well I did do some tests with a 9v and 3AA I got 2 hours out of a 9v and 3.5 hours out of 3AA... Guess I am going to pull out the multi-meter and check the current draw of the whole circuit, and take it from there.
Thank you very much.