[Lab] So my EL wire board still resets (when using batteries)

[Trevyn Watson]

The startup current draw of various components may be dragging down the 
battery voltage momentarily. It's a common problem in digital 
electronics, solved using what are called decoupling capacitors. They're 
connected between the voltage source and ground and provide a small but 
fast-responding buffer to smooth out dips, spikes and noise in the power.

If this is the Sparkfun EL sequencer it appears to already have two 0.1 
uF and a 10 uF capacitor on the board, but maybe that's not enough - try 
a 100 uF capacitor (the pair of holes marked "BATT" might be a good 
place to connect it if you're not using them).

If you're not using the Sparkfun board, try a 0.1 or 1 uF ceramic 
capacitor and a 100 uF electrolytic capacitor connected between + and 
ground as close as possible to the power pins of the microcontroller.

On 03/11/2011 18|10, Martin Villemaire wrote:
> I got home last night from the lab all excited to finally be able to
> light up my EL wire through my "el sequencer" board. However when I
> plugged my battery pack in instead of the USB, the board started
> resetting again.
>
> I am using 4x AA rechargeable batteries rated 1.2V/2000mAh, so in theory
> I am giving this 4.8V of power (I think the USB is giving it 5V?). The
> batteries are fully charged.
>
> Any idea what I would need to get the board to not reset when using
> batteries? 6x AA @ 1.2V? 8x? Or maybe my problem is something else
> entirely... argh...
>
> Any help would be appreciated!
>
>
>
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