This IS the Best/Cheapest/Largest battery for use with Kite's SAIO

[DannyJK]

I constantly read about people in need of the best/cheapest/largest lithium ion/polymer battery.

OR alternatively, If you're from Canada, like me, you won't be able to import bare batteries from China. (The cheapest solution for batteries online that I can find.)

I bring a solution that I hope will help a lot of people.

After a LOT of battery purchases, I have finally found the perfect battery and it fits well in a Gameboy case with a large driver speaker AND Kite's SAIO board.

It's 5000mAh, high quality and incredibly inexpensive at under $8. (I have pulled apart power banks costing over $30 and found far less quality than what's inside this.)

With WiFi OFF and brightness on a lower setting, I have sailed through 20 hours of gameplay (Chrono Trigger for SNES) using Kite's SAIO before needing a recharge.

You will need to tear apart the power bank to get at the battery, but the power board is worth the price alone as I have used it in other projects without issue.

If you are like me, you will see the value in this. I really hope I have helped you all out.

here's the link:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00WIB ... UTF8&psc=1

PROOF:

[Lpoolm]

looks good, can not get in uk though

[DannyJK]

looks good, can not get in uk though

A quick search on Amazon UK turns up this for me. I would give it a try as the dimensions are very similar. I would assume the LiPo inside may be the same dimensions as the LiPo I'm using. Hope this helps.

EDIT: I should also mention that during my search for a better battery, I discovered that most power banks have the battery protection circuit built in to the power board. On the power bank I posted in my OP the battery had a dedicated protection circuit. So, you may find yourself buying protection PCB's on eBay/Amazon if you find a battery without one on it. GOOD LUCK!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SELECTEC-Ultra ... power+bank

[Lpoolm]

Thanks for that. At that price I think it's worth a go, will order tomorrow.

[DannyJK]

Thanks for that. At that price I think it's worth a go, will order tomorrow.

All the best! Please post your findings.

At the very least, if it doesn't fit in this project, it can be used for other projects, OR alternatively you could put the power bank back together and use it for recharging your Gameboy Zero. They also make great gifts if you'd rather not look at it. lol. I had collected a stack of power banks during my search and giving some away as gifts wasn't a bad idea.

[inches]

5000mAh gives 20 hours? That's impressive.

Do you have pics of your disassembly process?

Do you have Kite's board set for 3v3 or 5v?

[DannyJK]

5000mAh gives 20 hours? That's impressive.

Do you have pics of your disassembly process?

Do you have Kite's board set for 3v3 or 5v?

I have set 3.3v

I will mention though that I just played through CaveStory and from full the battery only lasted 10 hours with WiFi OFF and a lower setting for screen brightness. I assume because it uses a different emulator, maybe it wasn't as efficient?

I also have my own power saving hacks that I've programmed into the OS. They work well, substantially shorten boot time and can be found here. (I did NOT create this, but is essentially what I've done.)

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s3/sh/38 ... 9d6c5df1e0

I don't have any disassembly pics, but it's simply pry the power bank apart with a flat blade at the seams, (I believe 4 small clips hold it together along the edges of the seam.) and the battery is held to the plastic shell with VERY sticky doubly sided tape. Be very careful un-sticking the battery and refrain from using sharp objects.

[ICMF]

What are the dimensions of the cell? Looks like roughly 90 x 60 x 9 mm?

Also, can it do pass-through charging? (charge and play at the same time)

[ICMF]

NVM

[ICMF]

So it turns out the case is both snap-fit AND taped to the battery. So it's a bit of a PITA pulling the case apart even after you pop the snaps.

(I got impatient )

If anyone else is wondering, the LiPo cell, PLUS the battery protection circuit is 58 x 77 x 9mm. Note that this doesn't include the power bank's charge circuit; it's just the battery.

In terms of fit to the DMG... Width and depth are fine. The battery is a few mm thinner than the bay, so you'll want some foam to stop it rattling around. Width is basically perfect. LENGTH is an issue. It's too long to fit, so you'll need to cut open the top of the battery compartment. Not a problem, just something worth noting. The top of the battery will be directly under "Complies with the limits for a Class B computing" text on the back. Which unfortunately means you wouldn't be able to fit this battery AND a functional cartridge slot.

However.

It occurs to me that you could rotate the battery 90`and mount it 'landscape' instead. It would need heavier modification of the battery bay (remove top and sides) and make the battery harder to remove *but* the door would remain functional, and you'd be able to keep the cartridge reader. Basically, it would fill up the otherwise-empty space between the battery bay and the sides of the case, so everything above the battery bay would be empty.

Currently testing the battery life with a regular PiZero, 5" HDMI screen and a logitech controller plugged in, looping the title screen of Super Mario World.

Oh, and it DOES support passthrough - just plugged it in and it's still running. So we may be able to use the power bank's charge circuit instead of a Powerboost...

edit: Battery lasted 5 hours, which is pretty awesome. It should drop a bit when I add audio, and with active play, but I'm happy with those results.