Hi!
A little more than a year ago I had a MintyBoost v3 connected to an Adafruit MCP73871 USB/Solar Charger, a 6v solar panel, and a Tenergy battery. I can't recall today what exactly happened, but I think the entire apparatus was outside and it either came in contact with water, or I had done something (not sure what) that may have caused a fault in the MintyBoost and perhaps also the other parts. My question is, how can I test the MintyBoost to determine whether it works properly?
Please note, I've purchased replacement kits for the MintyBoost and Solar charger, and a new solar panel. I want to be able to use the old parts if they are still in working order, to power my projects. This includes the Tenergy battery.
Thanks for any testing advice that you can offer.
Bob Cochran
How To Test MintyBoost v3 That May Have Water Contact
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- bcochran1
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Re: How To Test MintyBoost v3 That May Have Water Contact
Water exposure to an un-powered minty should not cause any damage unless there is some corrosion. Once it is dried out it should function normally.
If an operating circuit experiences a short circuit due to water or contact with something else conductive, the first casualty would probably be the boost converter chip.
To test, I'd carefully power it up with a pair of alkaline AA cells (not the LiPo). If there are no immediate signs of smoke, test the output voltages. If the batteries or the chip are getting very hot with no load or the output voltages are not what they should be, then the chip is probably shot.
If an operating circuit experiences a short circuit due to water or contact with something else conductive, the first casualty would probably be the boost converter chip.
To test, I'd carefully power it up with a pair of alkaline AA cells (not the LiPo). If there are no immediate signs of smoke, test the output voltages. If the batteries or the chip are getting very hot with no load or the output voltages are not what they should be, then the chip is probably shot.
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.