I want to use one of these to power several boards attached via the QWIIC connector.
How powerful a battery will the board handle – e.g., 2000mAh?, 5000mAh?, other?
Thanks.
–J
Hi Jeff,
The SparkFun Pro RF will work with any single cell Lithium-Ion battery regardless of the capacity. The main factor is the 3.3V regulator on the Pro RF can supply a maximum of 600mA to any devices connected to it. So long as the total current draw of the attached boards in your circuit does not exceed 600mA, you can use whichever battery you would like. A larger capacity simply means the circuit will stay powered longer. One other note, the charge circuit on the Pro RF is set to 500mA so if you have a large capacity battery, say 2000mAh, it will take roughly four hours to charge that battery if it is fully discharged. We cover this and much more in our [Hookup Guide for the SparkFun Pro RF.](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/sparkfun-samd21-pro-rf-hookup-guide)
TS-Mark:
Thanks. I figured that was the case but I am a software dev that tinkers with digital electronics and not a EE. Sometimes I ask a question to double check what (think) I remember.
o Voltage must match or <= 6v.
o Amp hrs control how long the battery will drive the circuit, depending on draw of the devices.
o Circuit is limited to <= 600mA.
o Charging time == battery amp/hrs / amp/hrs of charging circuit.
I think that sums it up.
–J
Not a problem, we’re happy to help. You are exactly correct on those points. The RAW input cannot exceed 6V or else you risk damaging the voltage regulator on the board. A 5V source (USB or otherwise) or a single-cell lithium-ion battery are the recommended ways for powering the board.