Thread created automatically to discuss a question in the Q&A Forum.
Is there any good way to power a banner sensor/optical sensor with the EduBot? We could connect it in the same way that we would for the RC, but we are worried about whether the ground pin on the EDU-Rc could accept the 7.2 volts from the battery, instead of the 5 volts sent by the signal pin. The banner sensors work on 7.2 volts, but they do not work on 5 (6.6 is about the limit).
I found out how, without an external power source. Apparently the optical sensors run fine on 7.6 volts.
I did the following:
I attached the brown wires (+) to the positive wire of the Edu-RC on a parallel circuit. I then attached the white wire wires to the digital input pins on the board, and connected the blue wires to the digital ground pins on the board, and it works perfectly.
The only issue is that the optical sensors turn on before the robot does - when you plug the battery into the board, the circuit is completes and the optical sensors turn on, so you better not leave the battery plugged in. Oh, and the optical sensors tend to eat up the Edu-Bots batteries in about 15-20 minutes, if left constantly on.
Cool, huh? None of that external battery stuff 
*Originally posted by Gui Cavalcanti *
**I found out how, without an external power source. Apparently the optical sensors run fine on 7.6 volts.I did the following:
I attached the brown wires (+) to the positive wire of the Edu-RC on a parallel circuit. I then attached the white wire wires to the digital input pins on the board, and connected the blue wires to the digital ground pins on the board, and it works perfectly.
The only issue is that the optical sensors turn on before the robot does - when you plug the battery into the board, the circuit is completes and the optical sensors turn on, so you better not leave the battery plugged in. Oh, and the optical sensors tend to eat up the Edu-Bots batteries in about 15-20 minutes, if left constantly on.
Cool, huh? None of that external battery stuff
The GND on the EduRobot is no different than the (-) on the battery. You’re better off connecting the blue wire directly to the battery just in case the traces aren’t able to handle the current.
While it makes sense that the sensor will be able to operate on less than 10V, it definately will not operate on anything less than 5V. Don’t be surprised if the sensors behave erratically when the voltage fluctuates.