#351

[@AndreasSpiess]

Please put your requirements into the project lists (and check before, maybe they are already there): drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f19RF6AQi-4VBvSjyZpHFr3eIGdKw_Vn?usp=sharing Useful chips belong here: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EVSzTGi6zV_2XqgAnM31S37PE2n4OdgO?usp=sharing

[@aGGreSSiv]

It's not cheap, but I think most of what you want is on this board. "SparkFun Battery Babysitter - LiPo Battery Manager" kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2Sum4KunqqHjbc&feature=emb_logo

[@chrisw1462]

@@aGGreSSiv No 5v boost. Fine for some limited applications, but Rapberry Pi and other 5 volt dependent boards will be left out in the cold. Besides, that price without a 5 volt boost supply??? I know Sparkfun is a little pricey, but they need to get a clue.

[@aGGreSSiv]

@@chrisw1462 After my suggestion, I bought and tested the product myself. the product cannot cut the power at its outlet. Apart from the 5v problem, this seems to be a more serious problem.

[@pergustafsson740]

How is it going? RPi team post regularly but nothing seems happening with the EPS32.

[@jotmai3630]

lol love the part where you use your wife as an alarm clock... very funny :)

[@frollard]

Having searched similarly - I gave up because every battery module had a deal-breaker as you describe. Joined the github and look forward to seeing what you/we can make!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Welcome!

[@dennyfox3139]

SuperPower! What a great idea for a project! I have struggled with UPS requirements for both Raspberry Pi and ESPxx projects. As you point out, nothing on the market quite does the job. I hope this project takes off like a rocket!

[@AndreasSpiess]

We already started, as you know...

[@userou-ig1ze]

amazing. Somebody give this guy an award!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you! Help would be more appreciated ;-)

[@the-matrix-has-you]

@@AndreasSpiess Hi @Andreas Spiess, have you guys found out the perfect Power Board for all our needs? I see that you have created a Discord Channel. How can I join the Channel? Thank you

[@AB-pb8oo]

I love how Andreas, with his huge experience with enterprise IT vendors, subtly teaches a younger generation on how to manage collecting requirements and research available options.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you share my opinion!

[@ColinMcCormack]

I am loving this already, and we're just at the requirements. Nailed it! Maybe add a power monitor chip.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Head over to discord and convince the others with your use case...

[@infamousdtownm9385]

Link to discord?

[@AndreasSpiess]

In the description

[@aux789]

I am a mechanical engineer and will enjoy vicariously learning the design process for electronic devices. Thank you for making this an open project and I'm happy that I am in at the beginning to watch all of the phases.

[@AndreasSpiess]

So I hope you can contribute an learn in the project.

[@marc6003]

Amazing project, thank you for taking the initiative Andreas!

[@AndreasSpiess]

My pleasure!

[@slavsterbater]

Not only you did a great amount of reasearch and documented it. You also made a video and shared your findings with the rest of the world. Thank you very much!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@c1ph3rpunk]

I have to say, as I’ve endeavored down this IoT & home automation path there is one channel I keep coming back to for accurate and informative help: yours. I’ll search YT for something and when I see your pic you are now the first one I’ll watch. Keep up the most excellent work.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your nice words. The mean a lot to me!

[@AerikForager]

I just started consulting power management systems on a project, the timing for this is amazing! :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you can contribute your knowledge to the project?

[@AndreasDelleske]

Fantastic. I’m pretty sure I will need that soon., for ESP32. Thanks Andreas. This is how engineering is done in the 21th century.

[@AndreasSpiess]

We will see how far we come this time. I decided to steer the project differently than last time when I tried to do it self-organized.... BTW: Your comment is now no more in the spam section. Very good!

[@AndreasDelleske]

@@AndreasSpiess Haha thanks - finally I have upgraded to being a resonable and trustworthy netizen :)

[@jamesmichener7526]

Love it! You are correct, there are many products out there that do not hit the mark, eg over voltage, under voltage, under temperature charge (for LiFePo4), voltage monitoring. Another use case is a solar powered ESP-32 that is physically small and designed for extremely low power idle, no USB interface.. with the ESP32 on board.

[@AndreasSpiess]

We have now two main paths: For ESPs (or other 3.3V MCUs) and for Raspberries

[@Mesyu]

Excellent initiative, Swiss power for Super Power boards!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I hope for a global push ;-)

[@robertmeyer4744]

completely understand the problems facing with small battery systems. I had to build my own solar battery system for camping. Biggest problem is Li-Ion 3.7V cells. poor cycle life . systems ready for sale all use them. My needs are 12V 5V and USB C PD 65 watt . I went with LiFePO4 4 cell . my own BMS . Found MPPT solar on eBay for LFP 12.8V . put it all in noco battery box from walmart ! working great over 2 years now. LFP batteries have 2000 cycle life at 80% DOD. Is 200 watt solar/100 Ah batt. using car assery 12/24 to USB C PD 65 watt . with meter from eBay it's great ! so simple after bult my girlfriend is happy ! not a success until the outher half is happy ! great job !!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right, LiFePo are a good choice. Especially for higher power applications

[@davidtcheki7685]

Sometimes, great spirits meet them together and when I watch your videos I'm feeling in the right place ! Thanks a lot for sharing.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad to read that. Thanks!

[@davidplush7960]

Thanks for this - very informative and I'm excited about the SUperBoard.. I've been looking for a "good" power board as you describe for a couple of years. Can't wait to get a SuperPower board. It's crazy that a "good" board doesn't already exist

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you check if your requirements are in the lists?

[@philrogers1042]

Thank you for starting this project about a month ago I went through a similar journey to keep a raspberry pi going during power failure and found a similar issues as you no board does exactly what we need it’s all compromises. If this works out we may have a great power board

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, this project died long time ago because of supply chain issues :-(

[@Larz99]

Thanks again Andreas! I have referred back to this video a number of times and get value from it every time.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad the video is still helpful!

[@vincents.3996]

This project is very interesting, thank you! When one speaks of battery powered devices, there is one question which should be answered :do we want the device to run the longest possible time when on battery, or do we want the battery to have the longest possible life ? As far as I understand, 4.2 V is a maximum to charge a Li-Ion battery. Li-Ion batteries hate high charges, they degrade much faster when maintained at high charges than not. A perfect ups/power supply should allow to maintain the charge of the battery at a lower voltage, say 4.0V for example in case we want a longer battery life. This raises a new difficulty, as most battery protection chips will cut the charge at 4.2V.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you add your requirement to the list: ( docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oGSQRG4XssmFL4II1EF2akhWRhvSvHqH1uTaYX9znlw/edit?usp=sharing )

[@raonibernardes]

Great video! Would be very useful to be able to control the “final” battery voltage, keeping it below 4.2 volts can hugely extends battery life.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good idea. Maybe you add your requirement to the project lists?

[@olafschermann1592]

I totally agree. Charging only to 4.05 or 4.1 V reduces capacity by 10-15% but extends battery life by 10 times! After half a year there is break even, where 100% of the 4.2V degraded battery is equal or lower then 80% of the 4.05V charge cutoff battery. I own a 9 year old lenovo thinkpad with 2h battery life - just by stopping charging at 80%

[@tec4303]

Very good idea!

[@MMMM2MMMM2MMMM]

Would be great if i could gain acces to the Google drive. I need some safe 18650 UPS to work as backup power.

[@hejasverigeee]

Yesssss 😎 I would need and buy such a board. Greetings from Stockholm Sweden 🇸🇪 Thank you so much

[@AndreasSpiess]

Nothing to buy for the moment. Maybe some manufacturers watch the channel ;-)

[@mikeunum]

I'm an engineer for industrial automation, electronics and satelite technics. So i'm in. Really a cool idea at all !

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you like it!

[@georgegeorgiou5229]

This is great Andreas! We have already tested some of these boards and they can only be used for proof of concept but not real application. We have designed a shield for arduino 1300 (lora) that uses tp4056 and LDO 3.3 v, including solar panel. (it needs redesign to include reset when voltage drops very low). We will be glad to help!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Great! I hope you already joined the discord community!

[@CarolinaCowboys]

I'm looking forward to seeing the completed product!

[@AndreasSpiess]

There will probably not be a product. Just drawings to order for everybody.

[@michaeldiamond2269]

Brilliant Idea - to "crowd design" something that's useful to us all. Well done for the initiative. Unfortunately, I don't have the skills to contribute, but I look forward to acquiring the finished product for my modest projects.

[@AndreasSpiess]

We will see where it leads... Maybe a supplier picks up the ideas...

[@lohikarhu734]

Useful to have an interrupt, or digital line, for battery low, that is active for some time before dropout, or a small supercap to allow graceful shutdown when the battery drops out at low voltage. I had 6+ years of experience in power management for a large manufacturer of "mobile devices", and 3 years of doing application notes on dc/dc converters for "a German Oscilloscope manufacturer"....

[@AndreasSpiess]

So your know-how is very valuable. Maybe you join the project?

[@PhG1961]

Awesome video and what a fantastic idea/project. Just what I and so many others need. Excellent, you deserve a medal for this !

[@AndreasSpiess]

I hope we will get enough working project members...

[@PhG1961]

@@AndreasSpiess I think there will be many. At least to start... to persist is a little bit different. I'm a little bit in the hesitation fase...

[@v-king936]

Very good project idea. Could be a good alternative to commercial boards where there's always just one thing missing to be perfect !

[@AndreasSpiess]

In addition I hope we will get a modular design where you can delete what you do not need before you order the PCB

[@dffabryr]

I will be happy to be in this initiative Andreas.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Just join Discord. They are already working...

[@VolkerHett]

Love it! Although I won't be of any help in this project. Except maybe as a testing mule and guinea pig, when I can't break it, nobody can :D

[@AndreasSpiess]

Very important function: Creative tester!

[@Jishnu.Janardhanan]

I have a couple of suggestions. 1: I think the we don't appreciate lead acid battery enough. I know its bulky, and have low cycle life but I think it is still good for cheap power backup for stationary projects. They are simple, safe, 6v is good for a 5v and 3v3 rails and it is 100% recyclable as far as I know. For me they are locally produced and cheap (

[@AndreasSpiess]

You can try to find other project members for your idea. I am more than willing to add a new channel for this architecture. You decide if you cant it for the Raspberry or for the ESPs.

[@Jishnu.Janardhanan]

@@AndreasSpiess That would be helpful. I hope I can find more people interested in the idea. Keep up the good work sir.

[@sebeksd]

I had similar problems when searching for ideal solution to power my ESP32 with battery/solar combo. In the end I finally found nice step-up/down module Pololu S7V8F3 that is working great (plus INA219 to measure battery voltage and charge/discharge current). Unfortunately this module is expensive (at least in my region).

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the link. I added the tps63060 to the 3.3 volt regulators

[@sebeksd]

​@@AndreasSpiess BTW some of voltage converters (up or up/down) I tested behave strange when battery was LOW (below certain point but higher then discharge protection), for example when sun start to charge batteries converters stayed in "off" (or similar) state and only disconnecting them completely and connecting them again fixed that (but I did not dig into it so maybe it was my fault ?). But important to test this behavior when creating ultimate "UPS" :)

Great project idea. I stated something similar before the pandemic. I designed a simple board to test different LDOs and boost ICs. This is my first boost circuit, so I wanted to try different inductors. This is the perfect incentive to pick up my project.

[@AndreasSpiess]

And maybe you share your gained experience in the project?

@@AndreasSpiess I joined your discord and posted on the LDO and boost channels

[@ThorstenS-linux]

Thank you, a great project. I have never found the perfect power supply either. I am very excited about the team results.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome! Maybe you join Discord to participate?

[@Retrocomputernerd]

Very early in the video I thought “Andreas needs to kick of a board design”. This is awesome, bit thumbs up on kicking this “SuperPower” project off.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you like it!

[@tobie4887]

Ngl, your such amazing teacher of Iot, you alway make it easy to understand . ty

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@daveys]

What a superb idea! I will look forward to seeing how this turns out.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, the projects were interrupted due to supply chain shortages.

[@daveys]

@@AndreasSpiess - Not to worry, it’s still a pretty cool piece of work.

[@DonVintaggio]

For SBCs like the RPi the form factor is also a key feature, and the type of connection so it doesn't block important useful I/O pins/ports

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree!

[@stevetobias4890]

I love where this is going. I have a few of the single and double 18650 battery boards and think they need to be better designed like you say.

[@AndreasSpiess]

We will see what we can get out of the project...

[@stevetobias4890]

@@AndreasSpiess looking forward to it very much. Will you do a follow up video?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Not decided yet

[@makkam7575]

I am really happy with this amazing step and I hope the designs will stay open source from the community and to the community. Also a collaboration with other youtubers may help in these type of projects(in a form of competitions with teams) .And I hope to see a lot of projects like this in the future.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The "superpower" project will stay open source.

[@kjur18]

I think their reason for putting voltage and current sensor on 5V line instead of battery voltage was not to monitor battery level, but more like to report how much current and power connected device draws, for optimising power usage. And while they could use only current sensing for that they probably wanted it to be more precise. Some time ago I made something like that, I used tp4057, mt3608 and fs312f-g and 8205 for protection. Put everything on small pcb, set it at about 9v and put inside small cheap dso150. Works great. As i made a lot of pcb's due to small size of board (I got like 80 of them at jlcpcb at 5$ probably) I use them sometimes to power up other not very power hungry devices. And as it's common with all my designs, I managed to make a mistake when designing and mislabeled output pins.😅

[@AndreasSpiess]

I added you chips to the respective lists in the project. Maybe you check and enhance? ( drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EVSzTGi6zV_2XqgAnM31S37PE2n4OdgO?usp=sharing )?

[@cedricpod]

this is another brilliant and informative video feature : bluetooth control and monitoring

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you. I think, requirements are better posted in discord.

[@3rd_Millennium_Engineering]

This is very fascinating and I hope, once I can get my head around this can participate and add some useful information. In the meantime, I am still having to sit by the sidelines and do some serious learning to catch up to you all. The reason I am here is to learn how I can incorporate this technology into my model rockets

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you join Discord to follow the discussions...

[@3rd_Millennium_Engineering]

@@AndreasSpiess, okay, done. But am unsure how to participate. I'll figure it out eventually.

[@santorcuato]

I will try to be there pushing some part of the project. Very, very nice initiative Andreas.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Very good. I still look for a teamlead for the ESP part...

[@joakinsa]

Awesome idea! The INA219 is a very good and popular option for monitoring voltage and also sensing the load.

[@AndreasSpiess]

A good chip. But I do not see the use case right now. But maybe you add the requirement met by the chip in the project lists?

[@jonjingleheimerschmidt5153]

Hi Guy with the Swiss Accent! Thank you for your outstanding videos; I really, really enjoy watching them and I appreciate your presentation style and sense of humor. Best regards!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@jonjingleheimerschmidt5153]

@@AndreasSpiess Sincere thanks for your high quality, very interesting and informative videos! :)

[@ionymous6733]

Can you do a video and give status of this project? Or perhaps evaluate any newer options you see in the market?

[@AndreasSpiess]

This project was stopped long time ago due to availability problems back then

[@DanielLopez-kt1xt]

Nice idea. If you want to be able to carge a 4.2 and 3.6 battery tipe changing just one jumper (or switch), you can take a look at the TP5000 IC, it's a buck charging, up to 9v input (perfect for solar) up to 2A charging. Also, a nice feature would be an intelligent dual function: if the output is 400mA and the battery can charge, at it's current voltage, at 100mA, the carge controller should be able to compare it and still let 500mA go to the battery, since 400 will go directly to the output. If not, each time you have the output on, the cell will be depleted until charging and output current is even, and you will never have the full battery capacity (plus, it will be running charge-discharge cycles depending on the weather, if it's connected to solar power, and the battery will age faster...).

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the tip! I added the chip to the lists in the project

[@bardenegri21]

Really happy about this, been needing and meaning to do the same thing for a while now

[@AndreasSpiess]

It will most probably not be only "one" thing. Maybe you check if your needs are covered.

[@KarlMiller]

Creating a project for this is a good idea. Nice work defining the requirements and setting up the discord project. I look forward to checking it out.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Just join the discord channel if you want to see the action...

[@tlamont941]

Just started watching. I have a interest in esp devices and raspberry pi. Thanks again for all your work.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you join the project?

[@hamhumtube]

Wonderful Idea boss. I am no expert but eagerly waiting for project’s result.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Very good!

[@richard_wenner]

Another 'Cruise Missile' of a project homing in on a much needed and beautifully researched and defined application. Glad that it's not just me that discovers the backwaters of Chinese only data sheets. It will be very interesting to see how high this flies. (Give Andreas his due - he even manages to slip in another reference to a non-existent individual).

[@AndreasSpiess]

I thought you get the prove of her existence this summer. Unfortunately we had to stay in Switzerland 🇨🇭

[@richard_wenner]

@@AndreasSpiess Let's hope that it won't be too long. Very best wishes :)

[@hbirtt]

It has bothered me for years that there are no good battery shields for any of these little boards. I've made things work with combinations for boost and buck converter boards, but you are correct that a good solution is going to have to be designed, boards are going to have to be manufactured, and parts located and put together. The whole point of these little project modules is to make prototyping and tinkering fast, cheap, and easy. If I'm building a board, I'm going to go ahead and socket in an Atmel or similar and complete whatever device I'm working on at the time. I hope your project goes well, and we start seeing these things on the market at a price that makes them part of my module drawer.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I should get the first results in the next week...

[@hbirtt]

@@AndreasSpiess Exciting stuff. Filling a need. Thanks

[@christianmock1815]

For a Raspberry pi, it would be very cool to have a shutdown function that would completely power the pi off after shutdown. It would have to be triggered by a timer. When a shutdown signal comes from the supply you start the timer and do a shutdown on the pi. When supply voltage is stable again the supply powers on the pi .

[@AndreasSpiess]

We already started to collect the requirements: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oGSQRG4XssmFL4II1EF2akhWRhvSvHqH1uTaYX9znlw/edit?usp=sharing

[@sullivanzheng9586]

SuperPower board is exactly the battery board I am been searching helplessly. Make it happen. Joining github now.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good. Lot of work to be done...

[@marcohamacher2231]

Great idea! Can’t wait to get my boards Super-Powered.

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-))

[@ChrisHalden007]

Great Idea. Looking forward to see where this is going. Thanks!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@AdityaMehendale]

The engineering-contradiction between "low quiescent current" vs. "a boost-converter for 5V (that needs a lot of quiescent current)" could be bypassed altogether by having a 2S configuration (with a balancer). Are there strong and grounded objections to having a 2S scheme?

[@AndreasSpiess]

This is why I emphasize on use cases. 5 volt is required for the Raspberry where quiescent current is not an issue. For the ESP modules it is very important, but they fortunatly run on 3.3 volts. So for the moment I hope we can avoid a 2s configuration because of the balancing needed. But maybe I am wrong...

[@shadow7037932]

@@AndreasSpiess 2 cell charging ICs exist. Take a look at the MCP73213 or BQ2057. I can't speak to the Ti IC, but the Microchip IC is something I've used in a project a few years go to charge a 2S LiPo pack for a RC car remote. I found a break out board somewhere online, and I think Mouser/Digikey has a Eval board for the 73213 as well.

[@AndreasSpiess]

@isogen: I added the MCP73213 to the list. The BQ2057 is a single cell charger (according its datasheet)

[@imbw267]

@@shadow7037932 Staying with a buck topology should lower quiescent current significantly. Doubly so if we can exploit a low-power mode for the ESP32 that can enable high-current draw. Or duty-cycle the switching regulator to maintain 3V on the power line.

[@jean-louisvern9505]

@@AndreasSpiess indeed, there are (at least) two scenarios: - the first, Raspberry or equivalent for which 5V is essential and for which the quiescent current is not fundamental - the second (which interests me) is the case of circuits with a 3.3V processor (or less) and sensors which require 5V (CO2, dust, etc.) and for which 5V can be gated, and for which the quiescent current should be low. Moreover, for these applications, the voltage of 3.3V would undoubtedly be more efficiently generated with an ultra low iq step down converter (TPS6280x, TPS627451 -for 2S-) rather than with an LDO.

[@nicolasrodrigueztorres7047]

Andreas you're the man! And you people are the best team!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you! And yes, I like my viewers and how we collaborate.

[@sammyk7024]

this is a superb idea! there is definitely a niche for this project on the market. I would happily collaborate, if I just had half your skills, Andreas. Unfortunately, I'm just a humble electrician with hobbyist level skills in electronics. easy to foresee great success here. best of luck!

[@AndreasSpiess]

This is also a way of learning, I think because the topic is not too complex.

[@drmocm]

SuperPower is a great idea. I have not yet found a universal solution especially for projects that are supposed to run for a very long time but only need to be on a short percentage of that time, e.g. a e-ink display for data that comes in regular intervals or sensors for weather data or mailbox etc. A functionality for a timed power on and power off via gpio pin like with a TPL5111 or TPL5110 would also be nice for the SuperPower project.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I added the chips to the list

[@mahudson3547]

Great idea. Been near this problem and I think first exception is that LCSC don’t have the battery holders!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good to know. But luckily the easiest to solder

[@YouGenom]

WOW, this is a must video to watch for DIY projects. Thanks a lot!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You're welcome!

[@filippos1]

Thank you Andreas for the work on SuperPower project. May a university will attempt to participate in it. I don't see any volunteers.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Because of the global chip shortage this project is on hold.

[@filippos1]

@@AndreasSpiess it's an excellent project and I thought there would be more progress, but unfortunately the other superpowers are against it. :)

[@noahhastings6145]

Forget the power board. How did you get your wife to stop yelling alarms at you?! This is the information we need!

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-))

[@ocerve]

That's a good idea. My actual project is a arcade box with raspberry pi 3 and TFT display but mi battery source has two output with less amperes than I need. It has 5v 2A and 5v 1A2A, this is insufficient because I need at least 3.5A for my raspberry and 3A for my TFT. When you finish your project I will buy two of them.

[@AndreasSpiess]

There is nothing to buy at the end of this project. Just plans to build your own...

[@DanBowkley]

Currently designing a gizmo that needs charging and 3v3 out; I've sort of settled on the TPS63031 buck/boost (LCSC part C15516) and BQ24073 charger/PMIC (C15220) but I'm always happy to find better ideas. No real monitoring capabilities though.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I added your chips to the lists. Maybe you check and correct (TI page is currently down) drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EVSzTGi6zV_2XqgAnM31S37PE2n4OdgO?usp=sharing

[@notsonominal]

Think you should specify parts for JLCPCB SMT assembly libary, as it is a subset of LCSC parts library. To make it feasible for smaller orders a focus on the basic selection should be encouraged.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right. I already added a link to this "library"

[@ratler5]

Super Power is an amazing concept! Any hopes of reviving it? I am new to ESP32 boards and have a lot of projects in mind that this would perfectly solve my solar/battery needs! 🤩🤩

[@AndreasSpiess]

So far, no update is planned.

[@ats89117]

Wow. You're the man! I was going to send a smart ass comment that if none of the boards met your requirements, you should design you own... ;-) I think all of your initial requirements make good sense, but I am ambivalent about the need to use JLCPCB's capability assembly because LCSC has a limited selection of ICs (but that's based on a very small sample size so it's anecdotal), because they don't do large manufacturing runs (but 30 boards is probably fine for 99.9% of your viewers), and because they force you to use green solder mask and lead free solder (but I need to get used to this horrible European requirement)...

[@AndreasSpiess]

If you have a better choice for assembly and global distribution at acceptable prices we are very interested...

[@ats89117]

@@AndreasSpiess I've purchased 25 different designs from JLCPCB, all in ENIG, with varying number of layers, board thicknesses, copper thickness, and solder mask colors, and they have always done a good job on the boards with excellent registration and quick turnaround at the lowest price. I haven't used JLCPCB's assembly yet because they never had the high value ICs available, and even a lot of the jelly bean parts are from Chinese manufacturers, but maybe they will suffice for your project, or maybe you will have to solder on one or more parts yourself (generally not an option for me). As far as international distribution, I guess anybody can use DHL although it wouldn't surprise me if rates from China to Europe and America were cheaper than other routes. I've given up trying to figure out how Chinese companies can send me stuff from the other side of the world at cheaper rates than it costs me to send to the other side of town... The main variable though is quantity. For less than 30 pannels, it's hard to beat JLCPCB if they have the parts you want. At quantities of 100 and higher, there are comparably priced options in the US and Europe with more flexibility in board design and parts, but turnaround time will be a little longer. Even then, the US or European company may still have the boards and PNP done in Asia, but they will stand behind the work.

[@captainpugwash4100]

This is a really good project and excellent timing too. I tried to power an ESP32 with the 3V pin of a power board that only made the ESP32 unstable. The ESP32 breakout boards also consume incredibly high amounts of current even in deep sleep mode. So I guess that a SuperPower 18650 board combined with a bare bones ESP32 would be the answer to my power consumption problem. In the Excel table you show the single cell 18650 board as capable of 3.3V output, none of the boards I own are capable of more than 3V output and as I explained above are useless to power an ESP32 in a stable condition.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I also had one board with 3 volts. The rest had 3.3V. Did you add a 100uF capacitor across VCC and GND of the ESP32 module? It is needed to prevent the current spikes. And maybe you can change the LDOs on your board.

[@captainpugwash4100]

@@AndreasSpiess I can't remember but the onboard LED just flickered and the sketch wouldn't run, I had thought about that but I am not set up for SMD soldering, and the markings on the chips appear to be erased. I will just wait until the SuperPower boards are available.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

I love 18650's ! I'm still breaking up & using recycled laptop battery packs from 2006 ! lol

[@AndreasSpiess]

This is a very good thing in many respects. It seems that most of the batteries still have a lot of life time.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

@@AndreasSpiess Thank you very much for all your excellent tutorials on Lora & Tiny GS Radio, it's inspiring work. The 21st century is a wonderful time to be an Electronics hobbyist !

[@FellaMegaOld]

I personally use MCP73811 charge controller with TC1262 VLDO with 4 caps and 1 resistor for all my esp projects.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@petermeiner3574]

i known this "specific underton" very well from my independent Alarm System "Wife"! And yes, then i have to do something, to avoid this messages! Mostly i have to do it immediately ("sofort")!

[@AndreasSpiess]

So we are already two ;-)

[@psuter80]

Andreas, there is more than the two of you, the WAF (wife approval factor) played an important role in the design and setup of my home automation system 😉

[@SamFugarino]

Wow, been looking at this kind of thing for a couple days.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately the project was not finished…

[@SamFugarino]

@@AndreasSpiess Do you mean is not or was not? Was not is past tense and suggest that it won't be finished. Still sounds like a great idea. I'm trying to build a rover using ROS2, Realsense, OpenVino, RPi, and Aurdupilot. What you described was something I've been looking for to power the RPi (or other sbc). I know there are a couple solutions available, but I haven't found what I'm looking for yet.

[@AndreasSpiess]

@@SamFugarino The team does no more work on the project because they were hit by the supply chain crisis and did not get the parts they needed. Your project sounds very interesting. A lot of work, I assume ;-)

[@LeifNelandDk]

I also use a timeout on data packets from my sendors,. But I also monitor change for timeout. If sensor have sent the same water count for 8 hours, i.e. no water usage in 8 hours, I know the sensor is not working properly. Similarly, I get an alert, if the cat hasn't passed the RFID-controlled cat-door in 12 hours. Then door or cat is malfunctioning.

[@underwoodblog]

No watchdog for the cat that reboots it automatically?

[@AndreasSpiess]

@Leif: A good additional functionality on a different layer!

[@aressto]

This is super! Im not rly a developer, so im waiting as a consumer for esp32

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@bernarrcoletta7419]

Very interested in this project. I’d be happy to buy some kits when they become available. It should be of some use to the amateur radio community as well.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The plan is for the moment that everybody should be able to create and order their own boards. Maybe a manufacturer jumps on the wagon...

[@amadeussorro797]

+1 for SuperPower because I got the same conclusion on existing products.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@BerndFelsche]

Keep in mind temperatures. Remote devices often have to operate at "extreme" temperatures... Battery chemistry is quite sensitive with charge and discharge currents limited outside of "office temperatures". I suspect that exposed devices in Switzerland need to operate down to -20°C in an average year and colder should not be terminal for the device. Elsewhere, exposed to the sun or at least radiation from the sunlit surface around a solar panel, 55°C should not destroy the device. Inland temperatures in Australia's outback vary by over 40°C within a day during dry seasons. It gets close to freezing every night under clear skies and well over 40°C in the shade during the day. Surface temperature of the ground can be over 55°C. (If you need ground-level sensing in the sun, then you should consider burying the electronics 30cm is usually enough, leaving only the sensors and perhaps antenna exposed to the extremes.)

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree. Maybe you add these requirements to the respective lists?

[@skewedmaker]

I would love a board for each of these applications! Joining the Discord now.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I assume you saw we are working in two teams

[@daveholden3935]

Excellent video with requirements clearly specified. Failings of existing 'products' usefully detailed. Maybe 'SuperPower' project could have outputs variable by +2 or +4% ?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Just add your requirements to the project lists and argue for it...

[@AlexKite68]

Great project! I will definitely participate by creating PCB in EasyEDA. But please note - JLCPCB can't solder ESP32-WROOM-32 on PCB. They can solder thousands of components, but not ESP32. They even can't tell when they will fix this issue. Maybe now they will listen to the voice of the community and add this feature in the nearest future!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I am in contact with them. I care more about the (small) ICs we might use. Solder an ESP32 module by hand is not too complicated compared with small ICs. But I am in contact with JLCPCB.

[@AlexKite68]

If any component isn't soldered by JLCPCB, we have to pay for separate delivery of this component (+customs clearance) from LCSC. If all components are mounted at factory, we pay only for one delivery from JLCPCB, and that saves our money.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Exactly.

[@pyronals]

Is Superpower now available?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, not. Because of Corona supply chain problems.

[@ludvigsensworkshop4908]

Hi, I bought 2pcs "52Pi Original 18650 UPS With RTC & Coulometer Pro Power Supply Device Extended Two USB Port for Raspberry Pi 4 B / 3B+/ 3B" as you have linked to in the description of the post. I have tried to use it now for the last couple of days. and some 18650 batteries who do not meet the standards regarding mah (it has a capacity of about 750mah) so I followed a link you have posted with another video, so I have to wait til it have arrived and see if it manage to keep the Pi running continuously on the UPS. but as of now this UPS do not manage to keep the Raspberry Pi running continually. I do not have any peripherals connected but keyboard and mouse. and I thought that a good power supply should have the unit running on mains(through the power-supply/transformer, not on the battery and when power outage it should switch to battery power and back to "mains" when the mains come back. so as to maximise the life of the battery?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I would check the battery voltage when the Pi runs on battery. Maybe the batteries also have a high internal resistance and do not deliver the needed voltage at higher currents. I agree that a UPS have to have the function you describe. I do no more remember the details of the video, but I remember that I was not happy with all the boards and started the "SuperPower" project.

[@jipede]

Very nice project, thanks Andreas.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you like it!

[@UntrackedEndorphins]

This is a nice project, there's a lack of good battery management circuits for DIY projects

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you like it!

[@AleksKo89]

This is cool idea for open source 5V UPS.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Not only...

[@pdrg]

Requirement - quiet/ no ripple/switching noise! This has caused me such issues before I realised!

[@AndreasSpiess]

The requirements are already collected here: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1f19RF6AQi-4VBvSjyZpHFr3eIGdKw_Vn?usp=sharing . So you can check.

[@ladedk]

Absolutely brilliant Andreas!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you like it!

[@mattsaxey529]

Brilliant idea! I hope this goes well.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Me too :-)

[@smitcher]

Just waiting on access to the document but thought i'd post here - Since my RPi lives in a cupboard with my Cable Modem, Router and a separate Network Switch, I for one would like to be able to maintain them during a power outage - this means a few amps at both 12V and 9V. In addition my CCTV NVR runs at 48v so being able to power that (at least until I can send a power down signal) would be good. That's also an idea - some form of logic out which switches when Power goes off and battery mode kicks in... Perhaps we need a few separate boards 5v/3.3v, 9v/12v, 48v (POE) or a single battery pack with bays for separate buck/boost modules and then you could configure your setup as you see fit...

[@AndreasSpiess]

I hope you got the access by now...

[@smitcher]

@@AndreasSpiess I did Andreas, thank you.

[@nikolayvvasilev]

Hi Andreas, I love your videos! I was wondering whether the four cell variant, from this video, can be used as a UPS for a Raspberry Pi? In your Excel Sheet you remarked that it has a "short interruption if charge is disconnected", so I am wondering whether this short interruption is short enough for the batteries to kick in and start powering the RPi before it has a chance to shut down, as this is a key feature of UPS devices and regular power banks do not support that fast switching. This board is also pretty cheap and can hold 4 batteries which means that it should keep the RPi powed for some time if the power outage is bad. Could you test this and report back the results as I am wondering whether or not to buy it for my RPi. Thanks and all the best :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

I will not use this board for the Pi because it does not have the features needed (shutdown, etc.). This is why I started the Superpower project.

[@tlmoller]

Excellent video. As always technical great and presented very interesting. On the surface battery power looks simple. In realy life quite complex and lot os issues you need to take into consideration! So great to see this video.

[@AndreasSpiess]

We will see if it is complex or if people just do not have the right use case in mind when they design boards.

[@Shelorygod]

Wonderful video as always!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@horsthotzenplotz3321]

This is two years old - has this nice project come to fruits, or are there in the meantime proper boards available on the market?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately, we had to give ou because of the parts shortage :-(

[@HerbsVintageTech]

Great video! Thanks very much!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@imbw267]

This is a fantastic market opportunity for Low-power ambient computing. The battery boards will sell like hotcakes.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The design should be open source and everybody can create his own board. So far no selling is planned.