Can the Atom accept external regulated 5V power?



  • Hi all,

    I was wondering if the Atom can be powered by an external regulated 5V power source through the 5V pin or Grove connector 5V pin. I understand some other popular boards can allow this (such as the Arduinos), but I couldn't find any documentation on whether or not the Atom supports this too.

    As I'm still a novice when it comes to electronics, I'm afraid of trying this out myself and risking damaging my Atom. Also, for space and cost reasons I want to avoid using the USB C connector to provide power.



  • Hello @koreanEggCoffee

    yes, that is possible - I am powering my M5Atom this way.

    However please note: There is no protection against wrong polarity so please be careful not to accidentally swapping 5 volts and GND.

    I also suggest you disconnect the external 5 volts before connecting USB-C. Or in other words only connect one power source at the same time.

    Please also refer to the M5Atom schematics which outlines the 5 volts connections between USB, 5v pin, Groove, LEDs and 3.3 volts regulator.

    https://docs.m5stack.com/#/en/core/atom_matrix

    Cheers
    Felix