In my recent review about the Li-po Rider module, I wrote that a little problem was the absence of a chip that could monitor the state of charge (SoC) of the connected battery.
You can find several IC for that function; I chose the MAX17043 by Maxim, for the following interesting features:
[checklist]
- it doesn’t require an external sense resistor
- you can use an i2c interface to talk with it
[/checklist]
This IC isn’t friendly for hobbistics: Maxim manufactures it in packages that aren’t easy to be soldered; this is the reason why I brought from DSSCircuits a breakout board, Lipo Fuel Gauge.
That module has two JST connectors (2mm pitch), one for the battery and one to connect in cascade the system to be powered; in addition you can find the PINs for i2c signals (SDA and SCL) and for alert signal (ALRT).
I wrote an Arduino library to use the MAX17043 IC; the connection between Arduino and the Lipo Fuel Gauge module is very simple:
- SDA -> AN4
- SCL -> AN5
- GND -> GND
Hi there, this is great board. I think every ESP8266/32 portable project should have way of determining the SOC. Is this board about to supply 3.3V to esp8266
Looks like the board is no longer available from dsscircuits.com. Is the board available anywhere else?