PowerBoost 1000 Charger

Keep your project running with PowerBoost 1000 Charger

PowerBoost 1000 Charger (Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost @ 1A – 1000C) is the ideal power supply for your own portable project.

Thanks to its load-sharing battery charger circuit that is built-in, you can keep your project running even while you are recharging the battery. This tiny DC/DC boost converter module is easily powered through any 3.7V LiIon/LiPoly battery, and it can convert the output of the battery to 5.2V DC to run your 5V projects.

If you do not need the 1A iOS resistors, 1A battery charger or smart load-sharing, you should check out the Powerboost 500 Charger.

Adafruit increased the output to 5.2V instead of 5.0V so that it is possible to take advantage of a little ‘headroom’ for long cables, a possible addition of a diode on the output, high draw, etc.

This 5.2V product is safe for all 5V-powered electronics such as Raspberry Pi, Beagle Bone or Arduino. Thanks to the USB cable resistance, it prevents unwelcome brown-outs during high current draw.

A TPS61090 boost converter from TI is at the core of the PowerBoost 1000C. This boost converter chip has some really interesting extras: excellent efficiency, 2A internal switch, low battery detection, synchronous conversion and 700KHz high-frequency operation.

• Synchronous operation allows you to completely disconnect the output by connecting to the ground the ENable pin. This will turn the output off completely.
• 2A internal switch with a peak limiting of ~2.5A will let you obtain 1000mA+ from a LiPoly/LiIon battery of 3.7V. Be assured, though, that your battery can handle it.
• When the voltage drops below 3.2V, low battery indicator LED will light up red, optimized for the most common LiPo/LiIon battery usage.
• Onboard ‘iOS’ data resistors with a charge-rate of 1000mA. When soldering in the USB connector you can plug in any iPod, iPhone or iPad, for 1000mA charge rate.
• Full breakout for battery in, control pins and power out.
• In most cases 90%+ operating efficiency (see efficiency graphs’ datasheet). It presents a low quiescent current of 5mA (when it is enabled and power LED is on) and of 20uA (when disabled and power and low battery LED are off).

To make this product even more valuable, a handy load-sharing Lipoly charger has been stuck on the other side. The charger circuitry will be powered from a microUSB jack. It will recharge, at a max rate of 1000mA, any 3.7V/4.2V LiIon or LiPoly battery. The charge rate is monitored by two LEDs, a yellow one signals that it is working, and a green one that will light up when it is done.

Important: Always verify the polarity before connecting the battery.

The built-in battery charger is load-sharing. This means it automatically switches over to the USB power when this is available, instead of charging/draining the battery all the time. This results in a greater efficiency. It allows you to simultaneously charge-and-boost without annoying interruptions on the output. In short, it can be used as an un-interruptable power supply, “UPS”.

Remember that the charge rate is max 1000mA, and that during the boosting stage there is some inefficiency. Just make really sure the USB adapter that you are using to charge with be of high quality, be capable of supplying 2A besides having thick power wires. Those of a lower quality do not work well because of the voltage drop on the power supply or on the wires. This can be particularly true if and when you draw 1000mA out of the PowerBoost 1000C, the MCP73871 maxes out at 1.8A.

This charger-booster is the ideal one for powering your single-board-computer such as BeagleBone or Raspberry Pi, your robot or Arduino project.

The PowerBoost 1000 Charger (Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost @ 1A – 1000C) contains a completely assembled and tested PCB and a loose USB A jack.

If your project is powered by USB, you need to solder the USB-A jack; it will take you a few minutes. In case you prefer to use a terminal block, you may solder a 3.5mm 2pin block onto the exact output spot where the USB jack should be. If you want a more compact power pack, do not sold anything.

Adafruit name: PowerBoost 1000 Charger – Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost @ 1A – 1000C