On Electron datasheet it is mentioned that VIN maximum voltage is 12V, whereas BQ24195 maximum input voltage rating based its datasheet is 17 volts. I would like to avoid using an extra voltage regulator and would like to confirm if the VIN max voltage is indeed 17 volts not 12:
Electron datasheet:
“The input voltage range on VIN pin is 3.9VDC to 12VDC.”
BQ24195 datasheet:
3.9-V to 17-V Input Operating Voltage Range
I wonder if there’s a reason for limiting the input voltage to 12v on electron datasheet?
Did you figure this one out? Is there something we’re overlooking here? The datasheet mentions a regular max rating of 17V and an absolute max / stress rating of 22V…
Over the last few months, I had an Electron hooked up to a 12V solar setup (with a charging controller, so essentially ~13-14V while charging) without the LiPo battery connected. It was connected 24/7, in deep sleep mode most of the time, but waking up every 15 minutes or so. There were no issues until I recently disconnected it from the power supply. After this, when I tried to connect it again, the device was completely dead (including the 3v3 pin). The power supply / batteries were fully charged the entire time, so the Electron wasn’t subject to any “slow discharge” or anything like that. Given the recommendation of a VIN max of 12V for an Electron, I am wondering if this device failure is related to the >12V voltage, or possibly voltage spikes that the charging controller didn’t handle properly. However, looking at this datasheet gives me more questions than answers
The reason they recommended 12v instead of 17v max is because they noticed excessive heating of the PMIC chip when charging from voltages above 12v DC. So they decided to be conservative and recommend a max of 12v.
