I have an application where I need to hookup 10-12 hall effect sensors to an Arduino mega - each sensor consumes ~7mA. I would like to power the unit from a large-ish LiPo battery and am curious as to the pros/cons of powering the sensors from the +5V pin or from digital pins set as outputs? It seems like using digital pins would allow me to control when I actually power the sensors and provide greater flexibility in terms of maximizing runtime. Are there any drawbacks to this approach - I am assuming that the pins provide a reliable 5V source when set as an output? Any insight would be appreciated!
