Adafruit ESP32-S3 TFT Feather

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slight
 
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Adafruit ESP32-S3 TFT Feather

Post by slight »

i plan to build/follow the circuitpython painter tutorial.
and wondered about the power setup used there.

in the overview you can see that it uses the 3.3V from the board to power the DotStar Strip.
nice that it seems to work :-)
(sadly the datasheet does not say anything about the min supply-voltage or the logic Low/High values...)
the Adafruit Feather M0 Express states it can deliver <[email protected].
so with this setup if i have a image with high white content i could easily crash this limit -
for 5V it is recommend to calculate: 32Pixels * 60mA = 1,92 A

in my build i would like to also use the full output power of the DotStars and power them with 5V
(i will plan some other static-on-modes too...).
so i thought about a different Power-Setup:
Main Power will be a USB-Powerbank with 2-3A output.
as controller my currently favorite is the
FeatherS3 - ESP32-S3 Development Board by Unexpected Maker
or the
Adafruit ESP32-S3 TFT Feather

the easiest way for me would be to use the 5V / USB pins on the boards.
but can this pin / the usb-socket and traces handle the sometimes high current of about 2A?

for the FeatherS3 - ESP32-S3 the datasheet shows a diode in the path from the USB-connector to the USB pin.
the diode is a 500mA type. so this will not work :-(

for the ESP32-S3 TFT Feather the documentation and schematics state
... as well as USB which is the +5V from USB if connected
that would work for me. for the traces too?

---

researching all this together for this post leads me to the point that i think it is easier to use a second usb-cable for Power Only direktly connected to the LED-Strip...
and then maybe a levelshifter for the data lines...

any thoughts / other ideas on this?!

sunny greetings
stefan

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Re: Adafruit ESP32-S3 TFT Feather

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

slight wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 7:19 am but can this pin / the usb-socket and traces handle the sometimes high current of about 2A?
Yes.
slight wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 7:19 am researching all this together for this post leads me to the point that i think it is easier to use a second usb-cable for Power Only direktly connected to the LED-Strip...
and then maybe a levelshifter for the data lines...
That's the best solution, yes. You can also think of it as using the USB cable to power the DotStar, and running a side connection to the Feather's USB and GND pins.


In general, DotStars with a 5V supply will accept control signals from a 3.3V microcontroller without any problem.

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slight
 
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Re: Adafruit ESP32-S3 TFT Feather

Post by slight »

thanks for the detailed answer @adafruit_support_mike!

also the pointer for not needing a levelshifter is a good news ;-)

if i power the Feather via the USB pin i have to be careful to make sure to only plug in the external or the computer.
(as there is otherwise a direct connection from the +5V of the computer to the powerbank.. and this *could theoretically * damage one of the two...)

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Re: Adafruit ESP32-S3 TFT Feather

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

slight wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 4:53 am if i power the Feather via the USB pin i have to be careful to make sure to only plug in the external or the computer.
(as there is otherwise a direct connection from the +5V of the computer to the powerbank.. and this *could theoretically * damage one of the two...)
That should be safe too. There's a low-dropout-voltage diode between the USB jack's 5V line and the USB pin at the side of the board.

if the USB cable is plugged in when you connect an external 5V supply to the USB pin, the external supply will take over powering the board. If you disconnect the external 5v supply is disconnected, the USB cable will automatically take over again.

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