Custom Array for Charging RC Toy

Ideas and questions about MintyBoost kits

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shuriken101
 
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Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:09 pm

Custom Array for Charging RC Toy

Post by shuriken101 »

Dear adafruit Support,

I am looking to build a solar array to both power an RC toy and charge the battery when excess juice is available, and your MintyBoost looks like the best option close enough to what I can find on the interwebs.

The current RC toy is powered by a 7.4v 700mah 2-cell (wired in series) high-discharge/high-drain lipo battery.
Almost exactly like the following (the mah is a little higher, but works):
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor ... _Pack.html
Image

This battery discharges via the mini-JST 2-pin (positive and negative) connector.
The battery charges via the JST-HX 3-pin (pin 1 positive cell 1, pin 2 negative cell 1 and positive cell 2, pin 3 negative cell 3).
Just like this:
Image
I am assuming the red and blue cables supply +3.7v split in parallel to the two cells, leaving the black as the only negative?

I can build a custom solar array to supply the needed 7.4v and 700mah for the toy, but I do not know how to connect it to the RC toy.
I am looking to:
1. Power the toy when there is enough juice from the solar array
2. charge the battery when the toy is not in use
3. have the battery supplement the solar array when the solar array it is not generating enough juice to power the toy.

Can your MintyBoost be worked into this equation?
The toy connects to the battery using the mini-JST, can the MintyBoost connect to the JST-HX 3 pin at the same time to charge/supplement the battery?
Or will this overload the battery and/or toy?

Ideally, I would like the solar array to supply the 7.4v to power the device when possible.
But if it can only supply 3.5v to charge the battery while in use (actively being drained) to prolong battery life during use, I will take what I can get.

Can you please let me know your thoughts on this?

Thanks,
Chris

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Franklin97355
 
Posts: 23912
Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:33 pm

Re: Custom Array for Charging RC Toy

Post by Franklin97355 »

The mintyboost is not what you are looking for. It takes 3 volts and boosts it to 5 volts and you need neither. You won't be able to charge the batteries and run the car at the same time wilt anything we sell and to your assumption on the battery wiring the red and blue are + and - for the first battery and the blue and black are + and - for the second.

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