Hi there,
This might be an inexperienced question, but what is the polarity of the DC jack on the boarduino?
While I'm asking questions, I'll ask another: I have a project with a hefty 24V battery to power 24v relays and loads. I was wondering if I can power the arduino from the 24V battery somehow, or if I'm better off with a separate 9v battery for the arduino. (And if I do that, I would presumably connect the negative terminals of the 24v and 9v batteries. Or would that be a bad idea?)

