My current setup allows me to connect a USB cable to my $50 photovores mobo to power it up. I have the negative to the negative, positive to the positive. When I get the voltage reading off the USB cable directly, it reads 5.15v. When I get the voltage reading between ground and the regulated side of my vreg, it shows 4.21v. 4.21v is not enough to run the AT Mega8 right? When I hook up my 6v battery pack and get the regulated reading from my vreg, its 4.55v. That is also not enough to run the At Mega8 correct?
If im not mistaken, the lowest "high" or "1" voltage for square waves is 4.85v, right? and the highest "low" or "0" voltage is .15v? Am I remembering that correctly? And everything else is read as an error?
Does this mean I should replace my vreg?
In the mean time im just going to hook the USBs positive directly to the VCC pin since USBs are already 5v regulated