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I'm working on a school project that involves a Raspberry Pi Pico and a 5V motor. I'm thinking about using AA batteries. Will 4 AA batteries, all in series, be enough to power the pico and the motor, or do I need to put another set in parallel to get enough mAh?

tylerst
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    We don't know anything about your motor. Get the spec sheet for it and find the starting, running, and stall currents. Add 100mA (tops) to accommodate the Pico. That's how much current you'll need (with some to spare). Find the data sheets for the batteries you want to use, see how much current they can provide (and for how long). I don't think we usually put batteries in parallel (could be wrong on that one); depends on the chemistry, I guess. – aMike Apr 13 '22 at 23:37
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    Okay, thanks. As far as batteries in parallel vs series, putting batteries in series increases voltage but keeps current the same, putting batteries in parallel increases current but keeps voltage the same (the increase is additive in both cases) – tylerst Apr 15 '22 at 03:16
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    Yes, but when you put two batteries in parallel, and they have different volltages... that's what I worry about. It's ok with lead-acid batteries on cars when we need a jump-start in the winter, but alkaline cell? lipo? ni-cad? nimh? I'm not so sure about those. – aMike Apr 15 '22 at 20:42
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    They wouldn't have different voltages though, if I'm using all AA batteries, right? – tylerst Apr 16 '22 at 22:09
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    This is the real world, they will vary a little. Maybe a group of fresh ones from the same batch will be close enough to be ok. See here for more information than my gut-feeling: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/204004/is-it-ok-to-connect-batteries-in-parallel – aMike Apr 17 '22 at 03:19

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