[Properly powering the Tinkerboard]

Your responses have been very helpful.

One other thing: Is damaging my peripherals something I should be worried about if I'm powering straight to the GPIO pins?

[Properly powering the Tinkerboard]

Thank you for the answer.

tWhat's the reasoning behing supplying 5.25V and not a lower value?

Also you mentioned how the HDMI and usb ports are not as well protected as the chip on tinkerboard. Should I be worried that my hdd connected via usb may be damaged?

[Properly powering the Tinkerboard]

My current setup is the tinkerboard powered by the raspberry pi universal adapter connected to ethernet and a external HDD(Maxtor M3) powered by the Tinkerboard's usb. I have used it very lightly in this configuration (ssh-ing into it and copying some files to the hdd) but from what I have gathered from the information available here this powering setup is inedequate and will lead to problems.

So I want to follow the recommended method and power it through the GPIO pins. I am considering using this or this powersupply. (I realize 10A on the second one is overkill for the tinkerboard, but the price difference from the 3A rated one is minimal and I could find some other use for it in the future). Is any of this a reasonable choice? TonyMac32 warns not to exceed 5.5v but both list a voltage protection range higher than that.

TonyMac32 also mentions using a zener diode and a capacitor to filter power and protect the board from overvoltage. While I have a basic understanding of electronics, I don't know how to make that circuit or the exact values of the components that I would need. Could someone elaborate on how to make this circuit and the difference it would make over plugging straight to the GPIO pins?

Thank you