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SparkFun LiPo Charger Plus
The SparkFun LiPo Charger Plus is the souped-up power option in the SparkFun line of single-cell lithium polymer (LiPo) battery chargers. With this iteration, we've changed the input charge connector to USB-C and provided charge rate selection as well as optional thermal protection. Charge, power, and done LEDs clearly indicate the status of your charging process. This board can be used for any of the 2-pin JST connector single cell LiPo batteries we carry.
With an input voltage between 3.75V-6V, the MCP73833 can charge up to a maximum rate of 1000mAh and provides two forms of thermal protection. An internal sensor maintains maximum charging rate until the die temperature of the IC reaches ~95°C; the charge controller will then reduce the charge rate to prevent overheating. The MCP73833 also has an optional input pin for an NTC (negative-temperature coefficient) thermistor, thus gating the battery against possible damage.
Need a custom board? This component can be found in SparkFun's À La Carte board builder. You can have a custom design fabricated with this component - and your choice of hundreds of other sensors, actuators and wireless devices - delivered to you in just a few weeks.
- Complete Linear Charge Management Controller
- Integrated Pass Transistor
- Integrated Current Sense
- Integrated Reverse Discharge Protection
- Constant Current / Constant Voltage Operation with Thermal Regulation
- Programmable Charge Current: 1A Maximum
- High Accuracy Preset Voltage Regulation:
- 4.2V + 0.75%
- Preconditioning of Deeply Depleted Cells
- Selectable Current Ratio
- Selectable Voltage Threshold
- Cell Temperature Monitor
- Low-Dropout Linear Regulator Mode
- Supply Voltage: 3.75V-6V
SparkFun LiPo Charger Plus Product Help and Resources
LiPo Charger Plus Hookup Guide
May 30, 2019
This tutorial shows you how to hook up and use the SparkFun LiPo Charger Plus board.
LiPo Fuel Gauge (MAX1704X) Hookup Guide
February 23, 2023
Monitor your LiPo battery with the LiPo fuel gauge! In this tutorial, we will be using the MAX17043 and MAX17048 to monitor a single cell, LiPo battery over the Arduino Serial Monitor. We will also connect a display to view the output without the need to connect the microcontroller to a computer.
Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping
If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.
Skill Level: Competent - You will be required to reference a datasheet or schematic to know how to use a component. Your knowledge of a datasheet will only require basic features like power requirements, pinouts, or communications type. Also, you may need a power supply that?s greater than 12V or more than 1A worth of current.
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Is it possible to power the device and charge the battery at the same time?
You should be able to. The battery pins are broken out that you could attached a cable to. This assumes your load is less than the charge current, which can be less than your set current value if the charger IC is hot.
Can this power a device and charge the battery at the same time?
I am planning on using this for an always-connected system where the battery will be "trickle charged". Obviously, this is far from ideal for battery health if it is left charging indefinitely. As such is there a way to configure this to "float" the battery at a lower voltage than fully charged, or will I need to get a bit more creative with my project? Is this even a concern with this specific board or is it smart (smarter than me) enough to avoid this pitfall?
Can this be used to charge 18650 cells?
“the MCP73833 can charge up to a maximum rate of 1000mAh”
mAh are not units for rate of charge. Rather, they are often used for battery capacity ratings. Should probably just be 1000 mA in this case according to the datasheet. I wish Sparkfun would put a little more effort into accurate product descriptions, because they are a reputable US based electronics company after all and I would hope that everyone is required to have at least basic working knowledge of these sorts of concepts.
If powering the device and charge at the same time, does this circuit protect lipo from undervolting?
Does this support USB PD, QC 3.0+, or any other common quick charge capabilities? Looking at the MCP73833 datasheet, it looks like "no" but I'm super rusty on my hardware design
The MCP73833 has a input voltage range of 3.75-6V, so no it does not support PD. There are 5.1k pull down resistors on the CC pins of the type-C connector which set the maximum amount of current to I believe 3A at 5V.
Ok, So..... as pdShelley asked, can this charger power a device and charge at the same time ? assuming i hooked up uController at the + - connectors at the back of the JST ?? Will this put a toll on the MCP73833 ??
I would also like to know if it is possible to power the device and charge at the same time