Feather with RTC

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_phillip
 
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Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2021 3:28 pm

Feather with RTC

Post by _phillip »

I have been wondering about the following:

As everyone knows, Feather MO WIFI boards can be powered by a 3.7V Lithium polymer battery when main power is lost. This battery can also be recharged by the Feather when powered by normal AC. Why then cannot an external RTC be powered by this same battery instead of requiring a coin cell battery? This would eliminate having to replace this coin cell battery since it cannot be recharged like the 3.7V LiPo battery can. IMO, this would be an extremely useful feature for RTC applications where coin cell battery replacement could disrupt time keeping functionality.

Secondly, is it possible to replace the coin cell battery with a rechargeable battery which is charged by a solar panel? I ask this question because replacing a coin cell battery within an enclosure can be problematic to say the least.

I am going to order several of the Adafruit DS3231 RTC's and begin learning how to use them.

Any and all suggestions/comments are most welcome.

Thank you.

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: Feather with RTC

Post by Franklin97355 »

According to the Learn page for the 3231
Other Pins:
BAT - this is the same connection as the positive pad of the battery. You can use this if you want to power something else from the coin cell, or provide battery backup from a different separate batery. VBat can be between 2.3V and 5.5V and the DS3231 will switch over when main Vin power is lost

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_phillip
 
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Re: Feather with RTC

Post by _phillip »

Thanks for the info. My Adafruit RTC's have been ordered.

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