For most of the work, I do with 8bit Microcontrollers – the PIC10F322 is an 8bit controller just saying – I run a +5-power supply. Call me old fashion.
To power up the PIC10F322 and depending on how you are going to use it – you need some sort of power regulation circuit, that takes some input voltage and drops it to your desired voltage to drive the PIC10F322.
However, going well beyond 5v will turn your PIC10F322 crispy and let the smoke out. And once the smoke it out… it is kind of like letting the cat out of the bag, there is no putting the smoke back in.
Breadboard Power
The easiest way (unless you want to build something yourself) is to get one of these breadboard power regulators. You can find them on eBay and Amazon. It takes up to a 12V input and outputs, 5V or 3.3V depending on jumpers.
You can even run one rail at 5V and the other at 3.3V. Another plus is it has an off and on switch.
So, just run the 5+ to pin – VDD {pin – 2 of the PDIP package} the ground {0V negative} to VSS {pin – 7 of the PDIP package}
The Role of a Decoupling Capacitor
Not so fast, it is a good idea to put in a decoupling capacitor, also referred to as a bypass capacitor. You’ll find these commonly placed as close as possible to an integrated circuit (IC) on a PCB layout.
Once fully charged (this happens very quickly), their job is to simply oppose any unexpected change in your input voltages from a power supply.
Some components like integrated circuits rely on their input voltage being as steady as possible, so when you place a decoupling capacitor next to an IC, you’ll be able to protect those sensitive chips by filtering out any excess noise and creating a nice, steady source of power.
What happens if you don’t use decoupling capacitors next to your IC? Well, you’ll likely wind up with a processor that starts skipping instructions and behaving abnormally.
It is just good practice to include them.
While it seems like this might create a short from power to ground, only high-frequency signals can run through the capacitor to ground. The DC signal will go to the IC, just as desired. Another reason these are called bypass capacitors is because the high frequencies (in the kHz-MHz range) bypass the IC, instead running through the capacitor to get to ground.
When physically placing decoupling capacitors, they should always be located as close as possible to an IC. The further away they are, the less effective they’ll be.
For most of our work, a .1uf cap is enough to take care of this.
Making Your Own 5+ Regulator
Looking to make your own +5 regulator – here is a quick hand drawn setup.
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