Hi John,

You ordered a power supply so how come you don't want to just use that? (No need to answer, I assume you want to reduce your cables)

I don't think the 5V will be enough, but you can try it, you won't hurt anything as long as the amps aren't really high. You can try your own 12V supply too, again just be sure to check that the amps aren't too high. Keep the amps close to what we recommend and you should be okay. (1.5 amps)

Yes, the PS is for the LED's and the Phidget itself operates off the 5V on the USB cable to the best of my knowledge.

Matt