Cheap 5 volt DC Sensor Power Supply
One of my recent projects has been to add a Sharp Long Range Infrared Distance Sensor GP2Y0A02YK0F to the data logger to measure front end travel. This sensor is requires 5 vdc power, which should have worked with my RPM Data Logger, but I learned that the sensor required more current than the logger could provide. So we had to add another power supply to run the sensor.
We really didn’t need much current for this project, but most power supplies are way overkill for something like this. Then I got to thinking, hey USB is 5VDC! So… I got a cheap $3 Belkin USB Phone Charger, took the case off it and presto – cheap 5vdc power!
Turns out the little power supply worked great, sensor now works fine and we’ll see how it works for detecting ride height on the front end, hopefully this will be handy for monitor shock reaction, etc.
2016 Update – I ended up removing the Sharp Sensor and switched to a Banner infrared sensor during 2015 season. The Sharp sensor worked in the shop, but just had too much noise in the data logger to be useful. The banner sensor on the other hand, worked without a hitch, it was noise free and worked great. Just an FYI, I wouldn’t recommend the sharp sensor, you might be able to make one work, but it’s going to take some effort to get the noise out of it.
