The USB Type C connector is also used to upload code to your Processor Board, send serial data to a terminal
window, or charge the LiPo battery. Of course for portable power, you could connect a USB battery as an
alternative to using a LiPo battery.
Power applied to the connector will light up the VIN and 3V3 LED. If you decide to bypass the PTC fuse, simply
add a solder blob to the jumper labeled as PTC. There is also a jumper labeled as MEAS to measure the current
consumption at the output of the 3.3V voltage regulator for your project.
Power
LiPo
The other option is to connect a single cell LiPo battery (i.e. nominal
3.7V
,
4.2V
fully charged) to the 2-pin JST
connector as shown below. A MCP73831 charge IC is included on the boards to safely charge the LiPo batteries
via USB Type C connector. A switch is included to set the charge rate. The charge rate is probably set to
~166mA
with both switches flipped to the ON position. This may vary depending on the position of the switch when it was
pulled from the reel. Flip the switch to adjust the charge rate to either
100mA
or
500mA
using a precision flat head
screw driver or tweezers.
The voltage from the LiPo battery is regulated down to
3.3V
as it goes through the AP7361C 3.3V voltage
regulator (rated at 1A max).
For more information on proper handling of LiPo batteries, check out the LilyPad Basics: Powering
