Hi, I have used USB to power LED's before, but I was wondering about powering this motor: http://www.jameco.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=91&prrfnbr=4185&cgrfnbr=501&ctgys= It will never be on much load at all, and I know it can run off of 5V, but I don't know much about current. My main concern is damaging my MB's USB ports. The only load that the motor will have is turning a 6 inch long roller to move a sheet of paper out of a printer into a tray...
No load current: 75mA Current @ max. efficiency (under load): 275mA I believe USB supplies 500 mA so you should be good, Id probably try to fuse it or something so that if the current exceeds 3 or 400 that it disconnects itself.
Make sure to suppress it with a capacitor across its terminals. edit: also, it draws around 1.4Amps if it 'stalls' (if something stopping it from moving) so a circuit breaker is pretty much required.
Values? Also, what kind of capacitor? One of the tube ones, or the disk ones? I appoligize for my lack of knowledge in this subject.
