In my first project, I used AA batteries as the power source for the device. While being easy to implement, it did have a few drawbacks. It is bulky, it cannot be recharged and it does cost some money. Also with 3 AA batteries, you can provide a 4.5V voltage. Not quite 5V which would be ideal for some more power hungry devices such as a stepper motor.
So I started to investigate options. I pretty fast found ready made components from Amazon, that would do the trick with lithium ion batteries.
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| TP4056 charging module |
This thing would take care of the charging and protection of the Lithium-Ion battery, but it would only produce whatever voltage the battery has, so it needs a boost converter to go with it. Well I found this piece again from Amazon.
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| Adjustable boost converter |
So with these two components working together, I can manage the battery charging and output voltage. The boost converter is capable of outputting up to 26V at 2A max load (although they recommend max 1A on continuous use). I don't imagine I would be needing anything above 5V for a while though.
The boost converter was a bit of a tricky piece of hardware. It has a microadjustable potentiometer to adjust the output voltage, and it was a bit confusing to dial in the desired output voltage, but at the end I did manage to make it work.
One feature that this combo was lacking, was the ability to bypass the charging circuit for the load when charging the battery, however I did find resources on the internet to build that yourself with a mosfet and a diode. The idea is, that if you route the power to your device through the charger, the battery ends up trickle charging continuosly, which is not good for the battery. This is not an issue if you don't charge and use the device simultaneously.
Let's see how the next project turns out ! The idea is to combine everything into a single PCB to reduce the need for additional wiring.
Amazon links to above components
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Converter-QIQIAZI-Voltage-Compatible-Arduino/dp/B0FVM69RGB/
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