Docs: size the display supply for the power-on inrush

A 12 V 1 A adapter browns out at start-up: the datasheet's inrush current
is 5x the 550 mA maximum, about 2.75 A at 12 V. List the supply current per
voltage and recommend 12 V 3 A, 12 V 2 A with a bulk capacitor, or 24 V.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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mangavalkandClaude Opus 5.5 committed 2026-11-02 19:04:12 +01:00
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@@ -82,10 +82,26 @@ through a MAX3232. The [desk case](case/README.md) is made for that board.
### Power
The display takes 5–24 V. At 5 V it draws about 0.8 A typical and 1.2 A
maximum, and the inrush current at power-on can be up to five times that. A
dev-board regulator can't supply this, so give the display its own supply,
for example 12 V at 1 A, and connect the grounds together.
The display takes 4.5–26 V. Its supply current with all dots lit (datasheet
section 4.6):
| Supply | Typical | Maximum | Inrush at power-on (5 × max) |
|--------|---------|---------|------------------------------|
| 5 V | 0.8 A | 1.2 A | up to 6 A |
| 12 V | 0.35 A | 0.55 A | up to 2.75 A |
| 24 V | 0.2 A | 0.3 A | up to 1.5 A |
The inrush current sets the size of the supply, not the running current. A
12 V 1 A adapter is **not enough**: it current-limits at power-on and the
display browns out during start-up. A dev-board regulator can't supply this
either, so give the display its own supply and connect the grounds together:
- **12 V, 3 A or more** (recommended). The D1 R1 can share it through its
barrel jack, which accepts up to 12 V.
- **12 V, 2 A plus a bulk capacitor** of 2200 µF / 25 V or more across VCC and
GND at the display connector, so the capacitor supplies the inrush peak.
- **24 V, 2 A.** This has the lowest current, but don't feed it to the D1 R1's
barrel jack: power the board separately, e.g. over USB.
### Signal levels