Problem

You have a power supply that you want to attach to a green connector to plug into the Make Controller.

Solution

First, make sure power supply is not plugged in.  Then, if there is a plug on the end of the power supply cord, snip it off.  Strip the ends of the cord so that they can be slipped into the green connector. 

Using a Multimeter, test the power supply by doing the following:

• Making sure that the two ends of the cord do not touch (this is very important), plug the power supply into the wall.
• Using a multimeter set to VDC, connect the black lead of the multimeter to one of the wires.  Connect the red lead to the other wire. 
• When the mulitmeter reads a positive number (you may have to switch the leads), you know that the power supply wire that is touching the red multimeter lead is the positive end.
• Connect the positive wire to V+, and the negative to Ground, as shown below.

You can now attach this power supply onto a power connector on the Application Board.   If your plan is to use your power supply as the main power supply to the Make Controller, it should provide a voltage in the range of 7-12V; 9V is ideal.  Check the Application Board Overview for more info on the Application Board's Power Connectors.

Discussion

Switching (or switch mode) and regulated power supplies are usually the most efficient, but are usually a touch more expensive than unregulated supplies.  However, if the cheap unregulated power supply you're using supplies a voltage level that's flapping all over the place, it can lead to strange behavior that's tough to track down.  If you have the option, go for the regulated supply. 

If you need to control devices at a higher voltage, you can use an external power supply up to 30V.