Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

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fairywings82
 
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Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by fairywings82 »

Hi,

I'm trying to make the animatronic fairy wings that are posted on adafruit. I ordered all of the parts needed but cannot seem to find the powerboost part that is out of stock everywhere on the internet (PowerBoost 1000 Charger - Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost @ 1A). Is there another part that I could use instead so I can make the wings?

Thanks for the help!

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by Franklin97355 »

If you hurry there is this:
https://www.amazon.com/Adafruit-2030-Po ... 474&sr=8-2
I'll see if I can find more.

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dastels
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by dastels »

Supply chains and semiconductor production are a mess these days, so lots of things are unavailable. I see that all the small PowerBoost boards are out of stock currently.

I don't see any indication as to why the PowerBoost 1000C was used rather than a 500C, but servos are power hungry things. That said, you could try using a PowerBoost 500 Shield https://www.adafruit.com/product/2078. That would require some changes in how things are mounted, but if it works in the project might serve at least as an interim solution until the 1000Cs are back in stock.

Another option is to use a different 5v supply: a plug-in-the-wall power supply or USB powerbank until the PowerBoost1000C is available. Either of those options would require some slight wiring changes for the potentiometer.

Dave

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Froggy92030
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by Froggy92030 »

Dave (i think you helped me with these wings at the beginning of the year :) )I tried ordering some boards from Amazon that were showing in stock but after about a month of waiting got a notification that they were back ordered. I posted a similar question yesterday.

It was suggested I try this and tweak the code so the wings "twitch" more frequently and try using one of these. Any thoughts on if this will work?

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1959

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michaelmeissner
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by michaelmeissner »

You can get just the voltage booster (i.e. take the lipo battery and produce 5 volts at 1 amp), but don't include the charger (such as the pololu U3V70F5, or maybe pololu U3V40F5 if you understand the limitations).

However, I tend to think a simpler solution is to use a USB powerbank with a USB cable (such as https://www.adafruit.com/product/1959). The powerbank incorporates the booster to 5 volts, and depending on the powerbank design, can provide 1 amp or more. When the powerbank is depleted, just unplug it and recharge it separately. For a cosplay setup, test how long it runs ahead of time, and judge how many powerbanks you need to carry.

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Froggy92030
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by Froggy92030 »

Do you think the code will need to be adjusted to prevent the powerbank from shutting down like it would if a phone is gully charged?

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dastels
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by dastels »

That is a problem sometimes with battery packs: the will turn off if the current draw is too low. Maybe add some LEDs to keep up a moderate current demand?

An advantage of the USB battery packs is that you can carry spares and easily/quickly swap them out... you can run the power cable to put the battery pack in a pocket.

Something like https://www.adafruit.com/product/1566 is good as well and will provide 2A.

Something else to consider is that the PowerBoost1000C runs hot which could be a concern in a wearable project.

Dave

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Froggy92030
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by Froggy92030 »

Great thanks! I have ordered and am going to give it a try

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fairywings82
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by fairywings82 »

Thank you everyone for your help and the great ideas :)

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Froggy92030
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by Froggy92030 »

dastels wrote: Tue Aug 16, 2022 4:08 pm Supply chains and semiconductor production are a mess these days, so lots of things are unavailable. I see that all the small PowerBoost boards are out of stock currently.

I don't see any indication as to why the PowerBoost 1000C was used rather than a 500C, but servos are power hungry things. That said, you could try using a PowerBoost 500 Shield https://www.adafruit.com/product/2078. That would require some changes in how things are mounted, but if it works in the project might serve at least as an interim solution until the 1000Cs are back in stock.

Another option is to use a different 5v supply: a plug-in-the-wall power supply or USB powerbank until the PowerBoost1000C is available. Either of those options would require some slight wiring changes for the potentiometer.

Dave
Any suggestions on how to wire the potentiometer if using a powerbank? Since the powerboost 1000C is being omitted where would the pot be wired to?

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dastels
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by dastels »

The potentiometer switch is used to enable/disable the PowerBoost. You can do the same thing using the ENable pin on the Feather. The potentiometer wiper wiring (the red, yellow, and black wires on the diagram) won't change.

Dave

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Froggy92030
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by Froggy92030 »

I almost have everything wired. All I have left is wiring the pot to the feather. On the powerboost it gets soldered at the EN and the VS pins. The feather has the the EN but not the VS. If I read right about the powerboost board the second wire should go to the BAT pin on the feather but I wanted to double check.

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dastels
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by dastels »

You should use 3.3v pin on the Feather.

Dave

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Froggy92030
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by Froggy92030 »

20220820_145754.jpg
20220820_145754.jpg (697.04 KiB) Viewed 281 times
There isn't a 3.3v pin on the feather. There is a 3v but that already has a wire going to it. The 3v is wired to the red wire from the red/black/yellow set.
20220820_145634.jpg
20220820_145634.jpg (369.21 KiB) Viewed 281 times

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dastels
 
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Re: Question about the Powerboost part used with the fairy wings project

Post by dastels »

Yes, use the "3v" pin/. It's actually 3.3v but that takes more room, and it's ~3v as opposed to 5v which is what "USB" is.

EN should be 3.3v or 0v (ground). There is a 10K pullup on it already so you'll need a smaller pulldown (i.,e. connected to ground) to pull it toward ground. Then the pot switch will connect it to 3.3v. Ideally you'd remove the pullup, but there's no indication which component that is. And it's be tricky hacking in any case.

Dave

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