LadyAda sells a pretty neat kit to allow you to give your USB gadgets power from 2 AA batteries. To create the “Boost” (save for batteries) The capacitors, IC Socket, schottky diode, etc.. took roughly 10 minutes to solder onto the PCB using these instructions, and another 15 minutes and 2 Altoids gum tins to give it the “Minty” part. Note: I spent the better part of 2 days locating these gum tins in the midwest. Eventually I found them at CVS of all places.
ax0n over at h-i-r.net inspired me to attempt and successfully build this project . His 3 part series (part 1, part 2, part 3) is Awesome (capital A), and he certainly deserves the all the credit for doing the heavy lifting and providing an excellent write up. I used it as my template throughout the entire process.