Redboard Turbo External 3.3V

Hi everyone! Quick question:

Is it possible to power the RedBoard Turbo - SAMD21 Development Board using an external regulated 3.3V power supply? I am worried I could damage the board by connecting a external 3.3V directly to the 3V3 pin header.

Thanks and best regards!

Hi aestrella,

You can absolutely power the RedBoard Turbo with a well-regulated 3.3V supply connected to one of the 3.3V pins. Just note that there are a lot of components on the board that are running off of that 3.3V supply so you will want to make sure it is a very clean supply. Adding a decoupling capacitor can help protect your circuit from voltage spikes. You can also apply 3.5V-6.0V on the Vin pin to power the board if you are concerned about voltage spikes from your 3.3V source. You can probably get by with 3.3V applied to Vin but the voltage drop across the regulator could cause some stability issues with certain components.