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Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 10:56 am
by Pentium
According to the thread, Helder has officially axed the battery boards, and if you didn't get your order in, then you're kind of out of luck.
...or are you?
I found this for really cheap on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Li-po-Battery-I ... HW-ml6iv7g
It's not built into the software, but maybe if you made some mods to the 3d printed parts, it could do a decent job of telling you what the battery level is.
I'll probably try it, and post here when I do.
...or maybe someone smarter than me will tell me it won't work. Either way, I think it's worth bringing up.
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 9:43 pm
by MadModder
interesting, ive been looking for a solution to this as well
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 9:44 pm
by dryja123
This would work:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12918
It's a little I2C DAC breakout board for $5. You would just wire it up to your build and install HoolyHoo's script. Done deal. Works exactly the same as Helder's solution except you'd have to find a way to stash it or mount in on the board.
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 11:10 pm
by Helder
That looks pretty big so not sure where you would fit it. The battery monitor is built into the next batch so how will this affect future builds if they aren't available?
This is for Pentium's response.
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 4:51 pm
by Pentium
Helder wrote: ↑Sun Sep 10, 2017 11:10 pm
The battery monitor is built into the next batch so how will this affect future builds...?
I was kind of thinking it would be useful for older builds like mine. I was away when the monitor pcb went for sale, so I didn't get my order in....
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 2:14 pm
by erik_gee
how would a dac help? the input would have to be digital but the input source of the battery would require analog reading
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 2:42 pm
by dryja123
erik_gee wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2017 2:14 pm
how would a dac help? the input would have to be digital but the input source of the battery would require analog reading
Be gentle because I'm really just learning about these things since I discovered these projects. I was under the assumption that this would work because it's an I2C interface that uses the SCL SDA channels. I could of swore that I read that Helder has also left open additional SCL and SDA channels on his battery monitor that could be used for a joystick (or other things) down the road. The joystick would require a DAC to convert the movements of the potentiometer signals from analog to digital. That's why I made the assumption that this board would work as well.
If it doesn't work, could you kindly provide me a sample and documentation on what would work so I can learn what I need to look for? I was planning on buying one of these cheap $5 boards to act as a battery monitor / safe shutdown on a future GBZ build.
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 5:30 pm
by erik_gee
dryja123 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2017 2:42 pm
erik_gee wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2017 2:14 pm
how would a dac help? the input would have to be digital but the input source of the battery would require analog reading
Be gentle because I'm really just learning about these things since I discovered these projects. I was under the assumption that this would work because it's an I2C interface that uses the SCL SDA channels. I could of swore that I read that Helder has also left open additional SCL and SDA channels on his battery monitor that could be used for a joystick (or other things) down the road. The joystick would require a DAC to convert the movements of the potentiometer signals from analog to digital. That's why I made the assumption that this board would work as well.
If it doesn't work, could you kindly provide me a sample and documentation on what would work so I can learn what I need to look for? I was planning on buying one of these cheap $5 boards to act as a battery monitor / safe shutdown on a future GBZ build.
Oh sorry I didn't mean any offense or anything haha I was just asking cuz I figured I might have misunderstood. What you linked was a digital to analog converter. But as far as I know, you would need a analog digital converter (adc). As you want to read your battery voltage (what would be interpreted as an analog signal) and send the info to the pi (which lacks analog input ), so you would need to convert digital
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 5:39 pm
by dryja123
erik_gee wrote: ↑Tue Sep 12, 2017 5:30 pm
Oh sorry I didn't mean any offense or anything haha I was just asking cuz I figured I might have misunderstood. What you linked was a digital to analog converter. But as far as I know, you would need a analog digital converter (adc). As you want to read your battery voltage (what would be interpreted as an analog signal) and send the info to the pi (which lacks analog input ), so you would need to convert digital
No offense taken, just letting you know how much experience I have. I now understand the difference between DAC and ADC, thanks for that!
Re: Battery Indication Alternative
Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 6:02 pm
by erik_gee
All good haha I just hope the info I gave you is correct and would love if anyone more experienced would chime in to confirm