POWERING A PROJECT
The safest way to power a project is with a battery. Use 4 x AA
cells in a holder or a 9v battery if you only want to use the
project for a short period of time.
If you want to use a 555 project for a long period of time you will
need a "power supply." The safest power supply is a Plug Pack (wall wort,
wall wart,wall cube, power brick, plug-in
adapter, adapter block, domestic mains adapter, power adapter, or AC
adapter).
The adapter shown in
the diagram has a
switchable output voltage: 3v, 6v, 7.5v, 9v, 12v) DC and is rated at
500mA. The black lead is negative and the other lead with a white stripe
(or a grey lead with a black stripe) is the positive lead.
This is the safest way to power a project as the insulation from the
mains is provided inside the adapter and there is no possibility of
getting a shock.
The rating "500mA" is the maximum the Plug Pack will deliver and if
your circuit takes just 50mA, this is the current that will be
supplied. Some pluck packs are rated at 300mA or 1A and some have a
fixed output voltage. All these plug packs will be suitable.
Some Plug Packs are marked "12vAC." This type of plug pack is
not suitable for these circuits as it does not have a set of diodes
and electrolytic to convert the AC to DC. All the circuits in this
eBook require DC.
