No. 1 Fascinating Portable Power Supply For Your Microcontroller Projects

mhay

Create Your Very Own Portable Power Supply for Your Microcontroller Projects

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate

 

Fascinating Portable Power Supply

 

Why do we need to build this project?

Most of the time, we use Lithium-ion or Li-Po batteries to power our projects, especially when working with microcontroller projects in remote places. Since Li-Po batteries are rechargeable batteries with a small size, it makes them convenient to use. 

 

However, the most common issue we have with these batteries is their volts. It only ranges from 3.7 volts to a maximum of 4.2 volts. Mostly, the common volt for microcontrollers and sensors to work is either 3.3 volts or 5 volts.

 

Thus, we must have a buck or boost converter and a charging circuit. With this, we can adjust the voltage to the required voltage.

 

You might be wondering, why can’t we simply use a power bank then? Yes, it is portable and can hold 5 volts; however, it also has limitations.

 

Normally, it needs to have at least 80 mA to keep the device turned on. Once you use deep sleep to save power, using the power bank would be ineffective and pointless. 

 

Hence, we are building this project to have an adequate, and reliable power supply that would our work as smooth as butter.

 

Portable Power Supply

 

List of the things needed for this project:

  • One (1) Soldering iron
  • One (1) TP4056 1A Standalone Linear Li-lon Battery Charger 
  • Two (2) MT3608 Boost Converter
  • One (1) Battery Holder with 2 slots for a 18650 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery

 

Once all the materials are prepared, then we are ready to start building this project!

 

 

Let’s Take a Closer Look At Our Materials

 

Portable Power Supply

 

There are two USB ports: USC Type-C and Micro USB. These are for charging and it can run two 18650 li-ion batteries; thus, having a 500 mAh backup for the battery.

 

Portable Power Supply

 

Then, we have three separate outputs: 3.3 volts, 5.5 volts, and an adjustable voltage that meets the required power.

 

Portable Power Supply Schematic

 

For our schematic, we have a TP4056 battery charging IC. TP4056, with the DW01A and FS8205A, produces a variety of features to protect our battery from short circuits, reverse polarity, and even over-charging or over-discharging.

 

We also have two MT3608 boost converter circuits for 5v and adjustable voltage output, and an AMS1117 LDO to have the 3.3v output.

 

Now that our materials are all set, we are ready to begin.

 

 

Let’s Get Started

 

Now, I will teach you a to create your very own Portable Power Supply that is perfect for working in distant places. The following consists of step-by-step instructions that you can easily follow.

 

Board for Portable Power Supply

 

First, insert the batteries in the board to charge it and that may take approximately 2.5 hours to charge it fully. Subsequently, check the current consumption on standby. It may take 1.8 mA and may get lower when you withdraw the light indicator. 

 

Afterward, you may turn on or off each output using the respective switches. Here, you will notice that the LED indicates which one is turned on and turned off. 

 

Boost Converter Circuit for Portable Power Supply

 

Now, we have a reliable 5 volts from the first boost converter circuit. On the adjustable part, we can modify it to a maximum of 13 volts with the use of 470 ohms and a 10k pot. You can also adjust it up to 28 volts if you use a 2k2 resistor and 100k pot.

 

Then, add a small voltmeter so that we can see the adjustable voltage readings. We may get the output from DC barrel jacks, screw terminals, or the header pins and for 5-volt output.

 

For us to plug any USB device directly, we will have a female USB connector. Moreover, we can include JST connectors to connect and charge some external batteries.

 

Battery Status for Portable Power Supply

 

Finally, measuring the charging status. It is very convenient when working with microcontrollers. With this, we connect some header pins to the analog pins of the microcontrollers and get the charging status.

 

Now, with your new Portable Power Supply, you can freely do your microcontroller projects anywhere you want without any hassle.

 

Check out these articles for your next microcontroller projects: