Charger module
As it was mentioned in the DiveIno parts post the Power module is one of the three modules of DiveIno. In the Power consumption post the Adafruit PowerBoost 500 Charger - Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost breakout board helped to measure the DiveIno power consumption. If this part gets used instead of the cheap DC-DC Converter Booster Module, the Power module can be upgraded into a Charger module!
The name comes from the fact that the LiPo battery can be charged directly with this module instead of removing it from the waterproof case. Please remember that for battery charging the external SparkFun LiPo Charger board was used. This is a much more convenient approach and gives further possibilities for your DiveIno development!
Parts
Let’s create a list about the required parts of this module like it was done in the Expected cost post:
| Supplier | Part | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sparkfun | SparkFun LiPo Fuel Gauge | $9,95 |
| Adafruit | Breadboard-friendly SPDT Slide Switch | $0,95 |
| Adafruit | PowerBoost 500 Charger | $14,95 |
| Local | Stripboard - TriPad | $1,50 |
If you sum up everything, the price will be $27,35. I doesn’t contain the required wires and the DuPont connector. Compared to the original Power module for an extra $10 you can make this upgrade.
You can reuse the SparkFun LiPo Fuel Gauge and the Breadboard-friendly SPDT Slide Switch from the Power module to further lower the costs.
Wiring
The Charger module has the same pinout Sensor module connector as the Power module. This means that you can simply replace the two modules with each other.
The circuit of the Charger module will look like this:
Based on the circuit diagram the schematics of the module will look like this on a TriPad Stripboard:
Extras
You might spot two extra parts on the circuit diagram:
DiveIno can be turned off by the magnetic Reed Switch. This feature comes really handy on the surface, if you would like to turn off your device without opening the case.
The second extra provides wireless charge capabilities to your DiveIno. Right now it is an experimental extension. I burnt down two PowerBoost 500 Chargers so far, when I played with it!
