SparkFun Battery Babysitter - LiPo Battery Manager

by Sparkfun

The SparkFun Battery Babysitter is an all-in-one single-cell Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery manager.

It’s half battery charger, half battery monitor, and all you’ll ever need to keep your battery-powered project running safely and extensively.

The Battery Babysitter features a pair of Texas Instruments LiPo-management ICs: a BQ24075 battery charger and a BQ27441-G1A fuel gauge.

The charger supports adjustable charge rates of up to 1.5A, as well as USB-compliant 100mA and 500mA options. It also features power-path management, guaranteeing power to your project even if the battery has died.

The self-calibrating, I2C-based BQ27441-G1A measures your battery’s voltage to estimate its charge percentage and remaining capacity. It’s also hooked up to a current-sensing resistor, which allows it to measure current and power! It’s a handy IC to have, if you ever need to keep an extra eye on your project’s power draw.

Get started with the Battery Babysitter guide!

Features:

  • LiPo Charger and LiPo Fuel Gauge combined into one board
  • DIP-switch-selectable charge rates of 100mA, 500mA or 1.5A
  • MicroUSB port for charging, or external options
  • Dynamic power-path managment maintains a reliable output supply
  • On/Off switch disconnects the battery for more power saving
  • 5V-tolerant I2C interface to fuel gauge
  • Fuel gauge measures voltage, percentage, and current

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