Easy charging OpenBCI boards (Battery charging & protection circuit)

Gille de BastGille de Bast
in Hardware
After 6 years of using OpenBCI boards it's time for me to stop unscrewing my boards to charge them !

I understood that the boards did not have insulation to be able to charge the battery and use the board at the same time.

So, I am looking for a simple way to charge the battery of the board and continue to use my openbci boards. (I especially use the cyton board)

has anyone ever experienced anything in this direction?

I put here some reference I found without knowing if they can fix the problem.

- Usb isolator adafruit => https://www.adafruit.com/product/2107

Comments

  • wjcroftwjcroft Mount Shasta, CA
    Gille, hi.

    Adafruit has a line of 'PowerBoost' mini boards that act like a tiny UPS (uninterruptible power supply) does for your desktop computer. The PowerBoost provides 5V from the attached Lithium cell. And if connected to a 5V source (usb cable / port), it will at the same time recharge the Lithium. If the 5V source drops, power continues from the cell, etc.

    Only downside to consider is (a) isolation, and you've found one solution for that. Know that isolators come in various isolation ratings, independent ratings for both data lines and power lines. (b) the power quality presented to the OpenBCI board (5V output), 'may' contain more noise than if the OpenBCI was powered only from a DC battery source. This is because the boost converter on the board may have some slight electromagnetic emissions, or DC power noise. 

    I've used this converter in my pocket (plus cell) to power Cyton, and plug it in to recharge. But the large cell shown holds a huge number of hours.

    [photo at bottom of this page]


    Regards,

    William

  • retiututretiutut Louisiana, USA
    Cool thread! Thanks for the response @wjcroft!
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