Battery life / Alternative power source

[Coolsciencetech]

First off, let me say that the kit is awesome and works very well! (speedy shipping too, even across borders)

I have the Geiger counter hooked up to my arduino and am using it to generate random numbers. To generate large amounts of numbers, I need to leave the Geiger counter running for a long time. Does anyone know how long the Geiger counter will run for on two AAA batteries?

To get around this, I was planning on connecting the 3.3V output of the arduino to the terminals of the battery holder. Would it that be ok, or does would it draw too much current? (I assume 3.3 volts would be fine, as fresh AAA batteries can slightly over 1.5V)

Thanks!

[mightyohm]

The kit draws around 10mA max, so connecting it to the Arduino 3.3V output should be fine (on the Uno R3, it is rated at 50mA. I think the other Arduino boards are similar, but I have not checked).

The slightly higher voltage is ok. As you say, fresh AAA batteries come out to about 3.2V anyway.

[Coolsciencetech]

Thanks for the reply! I was able to run the geiger counter from the 3.3v line on the arduino overnight without any problems!