[maelstrom]

I was just designing myself a pair of scanners for my car and was wondering if there was any place that has 5V running or is there any way i can get something to convert 12V to 5V and doesn't generate too much heat? i would add a power supply to my scanners but the heat it makes isn't too good and it makes the circuit a lot larger. If anyone can help me out with this I would appreciate it. Thanks

 

[redblurr]

You should be able to wire a capacitor onto the positive side of the connection to only allow 5v. You can get them at radio shack etc. Call Radio shack & tell them what your trying to do & they can show you what capacitor is the right one but don't trust that you have the right voltage. Make sure by checking it with a meter once you get it connected.

 

[Lafrad]

I think it isn't a capicator you are looking for, but a power regulator. Radio shack does sell them, and they are relatively cheap. I used them all the time in electronics class to take a 14V power supply that plugged in the wall to a 5V current on the breadboard.

http://www.radioshack.com/searchsku.asp?find=900-4493

Make sure you hook a heat sink up to it or connect it to the frame to get rid of the heat, because it does get hot. Also, make sure you hook the leads up correctly, as hooking up the polarity incorrectly can make the thing explode with bits of silicon flying everywhere (including your eye, which really hurts).

Good luck

[ January 23, 2002: Message edited by: Lafrad ]

[ January 23, 2002: Message edited by: Lafrad ]

 

[brun064]

just go get a cheap car adapter from Circuit City or Radio Shack and set it to 4.5 or 5V. They cost like $10.

 

[Djnrg]

thats a great idea brun064. And you're right, it would be quite cheap. Otherwise, you could just get a resistor to put on the positive terminal of the scanner. I forget the math of it, but someone on this site might be able to help you. Or, if the guys at radio shack know anything, they might be able to tell you how many ohms your resistor will need. Or just check the web..its a pretty easy equation to figure out what resistor you need.