Switching a rail

A board asleep at microamps, and a module beside it that never sleeps at all. One chip cuts the module off completely, and costs nanoamps to do it.

1 articleabout 5 minutesNo board required

12A load switch5 minA microcontroller asleep draws microamps. A bar of WS2812 LEDs beside it, sent dark, still draws a milliamp and a half, because the chip in every LED stays awake. A load switch lets one pin cut that power completely, and while it is off the switch itself draws about two nanoamps.

Start at 12 and read down — the order is the order things get easier in. Or take the one with your part in it; every article stands on its own, and links back to whatever it needs.

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