I’m currently using the Adafruit PowerBoot 500 Charger or the PowerBoost 1000 Charger. Both of these work for me (I expect I’ll only need 500mA load capacity). My real concern is cost and so I’m looking for something cheaper.
I’d like to know what others are using. Essentially the requirements are:
3.7v LiPo battery charger with protections (over current, under voltage etc.). Turn off output if Battery voltage is low
5V input for charging
5V output capable of handling 500mA load
Smart load sharing (that is when possible, charge the battery and provide power to the load)
@shiv, TI makes several LiPo charger/booster chips that would be suitable. LTC also has some and I suspect STM and Maxim may also. The problem I had was the cost of doing singles or low volume was high so the Adafruit board was more economical. At volume, the TI parts may be worth considering.
Yes TI has the best Battery management chips and documentation that I have come across.
TI has evaluation boards for all their chips so if you find one you like you can just buy an evaluation board which will allow you to get up and running quickly.
It would probably be easier to find what your looking for if you using a battery that has over & under voltage, and short circuit protection built into the battery. Then the chip will not need to be battery management chip also.
TI carries a ton of solutions that should meet your needs.
Yes, I should have mentioned that I'm looking to reduce cost for if/when volume increases, but also $15-20 seems high even for 1 off numbers. I need to get back into making PCBs and then learning/working with SMD (never done that before). Looking raw components and datasheets gets a bit frustrating because I don't have the skills to work with SMDs yet But thanks for the links though.
Hey @RWB, while I have your attention I plan on using a Solar panel (VoltaicSystems). They produce 6V typical (as per their specs). Would these boards work? Or is there possibility of damaging the LiPo. I'm guessing since they have to have a CC and CV mode, these board should be fine. What are your thoughts?
It depends on the input voltage range of the charging chip that is built into the board you be using.
The voltaic solar panel will have a voltage with no load “Voc” in the 7v range probably and that may or may not be OK with the chip on the board your using. I would say try it out and see what happens. Worst case is you fry a $10 board.
I would bet that it would work just fine but I’m not sure.
Look around at all the different USB battery boards out there and I’m sure there will be one that will work.
Hello,
I check many websites and I couldn’t find any pcb board that is mounted in regular power banks
I need converter and booster in one board something similiar to powerbooster 1000C but at least 2.5A currect charge for Li-poly battery 16000mAh.
@RWB, I believe @marcin is looking for a charger/booster that can charge at a 2.5A rate and use a boost regulator to produce 5v, much like the Adafruit Powerboost 1000c.
This may charge up to 2 Amps if you change the resistors that control charge current. I would ask the person selling the board how to properly change the charging current to what you want.
Thank you @peekay123 ! That is correct, I’m looking for something similiar to power boost 1000C but with higher efficiency. The board that you send is not enough for my needs. It has maximum Current charge equal 550mA.
I am looking for board which could provide me constant Iout (current power consumption) and battery charge around 2,5A.
I see, it seems perfect to my project. However it doesn’t day anything about multiple drawing from I charge 2A + 1,2A constantly from 5V which in total it should give 3,2A, right?
Funny - this discussion seems to be looking at the one bit I’m missing…
So in the above we’ve been discussion uninterruptibles to include Pi3 etc - so 2 amps… and I’ve gone so far as to to the control side with a cheap NANO and even cheaper display (the latter isn’t essential)… works a treat - sitting on my desk now - but two issues - the 1 amp unit I’m using is pushing it’s luck and (probably as I don’t know where to stick a wire) I have no control over the output other than to use a relay - which is what I am using - would be way better if I could turn the output on and off with a logic level… If anyone has any ideas etc by all means chip into the conversation.
Actually I missed a very important part of that out - I need a stable 5v to run the Nano - if the battery didn’t go all the way up to 4v one could run the nano straight off it… so right now I have a power supply that puts out under 2 amps, shuts itself off at 2.9v battery but can’t seem to come up under full load when the power comes back on - so I’m using the NANO to shut off the Pi before the battery gets that low - and warning the Pi in the process with an output so it can shut down gracefully - then - when the battery gets all the way back to around 3.7v I turn the main output on and the Pi starts up - this way it is impossible for the Pi to get caught out or end up stuck in the off state… but I’m using the 5v to power the Nano and the 5v relay (as they use MUCH less power, the supply will start from a flat battery and provide 5v when it is able.
In a wonderful world I’d have 2 5v outputs - one very low power able to run as soon as the battery can handle it - the other under logic control that the NANO could bring in when it decided the battery had enough power.
But thanks for the links though.
I plan on using a Solar panel (VoltaicSystems). They produce 6V typical (as per their specs). Would these boards work? Or is there possibility of damaging the LiPo. I'm guessing since they have to have a CC and CV mode, these board should be fine. What are your thoughts?