About a year ago, I used the Pro Micro to control my own custom keypad. I ordered my own custom PCB and hooked up the Pro Micro to it with some pin headers. It worked really well, so well in fact that I am now designing another board with the Pro Micro integrated into it.
I am using some 5v RGB LEDs for lighting, so I want to run the whole thing off of 5v so that I can use the VCC from the board to power the LEDs. From what I can tell from the schematic linked below, I shouldn’t need to include the regulator U2, the 10uF capacitor C19, or the diode D2. Is that right?
Schematic: http://cdn.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Dev/ … o_v13b.pdf
Also, would it be possible/practical for someone who is inexperienced with electrical design to substitute the Micro-USB type B connector with a USB type C connector?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to help me, it means the world!
HI joloujo.
As long as you’re only powering the board from USB or a regulated 5 volt power supply you can omit everything in the area around the voltage regulator and connect 5 volt power directly to VCC.
Also, would it be possible/practical for someone who is inexperienced with electrical design to substitute the Micro-USB type B connector with a USB type C connector?
Possible? Yes, but it might be difficult depending on how skilled you are in PCB design. If you decide to give it a try, use the schematic for the [SparkFun Serial Basic Breakout - CH340C and USB-C to guide you in what connections to make to the USB-C connector.](SparkFun Serial Basic Breakout - CH340C and USB-C - DEV-15096 - SparkFun Electronics)
Thank you so much for the info! Removing those components will be nice and I’m glad I am not making any mistakes by omitting them from my design. I’ll be sure to check out the schematic for that breakout board if I decide to take the risk of moving to USB C. I really appreciate the help, have a great day!