Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
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Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
- xxlawman87xx
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:12 pm
Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
So have assembled my minty boost with a lipo battery and the usb/solar charger and it works great. My only issue is when I leave the 2.1mm plug inserted (even with no power to it) it wont allow me to use the mini USB port to charge the lipo battery. Is this a security feature or is there a way to bypass this? I want to be able to hardwire the solar panel to the usb/solar charge board and still have the option of the mini usb port iff needed. Can anyone shine some light on this for me? thanks!
- adafruit_support_rick
- Posts: 35092
- Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:42 am
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
Yes, that's a safety feature. Inserting the plug mechanically breaks the ground connection from the USB plug.
- adafruit_support_bill
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- Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
Solar panels in particular can be damaged by reverse current from other power sources wired in parallel when they are shaded.Yes, that's a safety feature.
- xxlawman87xx
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:12 pm
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
Ah. I see now. Do you have any recommendations so that I can achieve the result I'm looking for without compromising the safety or integrity of the solar panel?
- adafruit_support_bill
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- Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
You could make a small wiring harness with a usb socket and a SPDT switch. The switch could be wired to toggle between input sources.
- adafruit_support_rick
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- Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:42 am
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
You could also wire the panel to the DC-In pin pad, but put a diode on +5V to prevent backflow. Probably want to do the same with the mintyBoost to prevent backflow to that as well.
- xxlawman87xx
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:12 pm
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
Finally got it all together. Using some spare connectors from my nitro rc truck i was able to find a nice system to re-position the capacitor. I decided to not hardwire the solar panel. Just a simple solar powered lipo Minty boost!
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- adafruit_support_bill
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- xxlawman87xx
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:12 pm
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
So I noticed something about the kit. It does not work with an Ipad. I think it has to do with the charge rate of the device. I cant seem to find the charge rate listed in the description. I was wondering what the charge rate is or if there is another solution to the ipad problem. OH and yes the chips to get very hot during discharge to a device. So hot in fact, I added some heatsinks to the them. Still satisfied overall. Really go the my brain gears moving for future ideas....(insert evil meniacal laugh here)
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- xxlawman87xx
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:12 pm
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
sorry for DP but I just saw the charge rate is .5 amps......anyway to boost this?
- adafruit_support_rick
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Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
I don't think there's any way to increase the charge rate.
Anyway, if things get hot at 500mA, it would probably glow at 1A.
Anyway, if things get hot at 500mA, it would probably glow at 1A.
- xxlawman87xx
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:12 pm
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
Thats unfortunate. Oh well, I have an old mophie powerstation that I may hack up and take the charging guts out of it. Mophies, do not support pass through of current but with the use of the usb/solar charger I think i can bypass this. the mophie charging board will give me a charge rate of 2.1 amps.....now just have to figure out how to do it.adafruit_support_rick wrote:I don't think there's any way to increase the charge rate.
Anyway, if things get hot at 500mA, it would probably glow at 1A.
- adafruit2
- Posts: 22148
- Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:36 pm
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
The chip in the mintyboost itself is unable to go past 500mA - no way to go higher!
- xxlawman87xx
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:12 pm
Re: Question about charging minty boost with usb/solar
Yes I know. I think you may be misunderstanding my intentions. I plan to not use the minty boost circuitry at all. I am going to attempt to use the charging circuitry from a Mophie powerstation which will allow a charge rate of 2.1 amps and then use the usb/solar lipo charger to recharge the battery the mophie charging circuitry will utilize. I am not 100% this will work but its worth a shot.adafruit2 wrote:The chip in the mintyboost itself is unable to go past 500mA - no way to go higher!
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