Adafruit Universal USB / DC / Solar Lithium Ion/Polymer charger - bq24074

SKU: ADA4755 Brand: Adafruit
This charger is the only one you need to keep all your Lithium Polymer (LiPoly) or Lithium Ion (LiIon) rechargeable batteries topped up. No matter the power source at your disposal!
$30.20 AUD, inc GST
$27.45 AUD, exc GST

In stock, ships same business day if ordered before 2PM
Delivered by Tue, 10th of Dec

Quantity Discounts:

  • 10-25 $26.35 (exc GST)
  • 25+ $25.54 (exc GST)
- +

12 from local stock, 1 supplier stock; your order will dispatch between Dec 1 to Dec 10. And yes, stock levels and lead times are accurate!

Shipping:

  • $7+ Standard (5+ days*, tracked)
  • $11+ Express (2+ days*, tracked)
  • FREE Pickup (Newcastle only - must order online*)

Shipping costs may increase for heavy products or large orders.

Exact shipping can be calculated on the view cart page.

*Conditions apply, see shipping tab below.

This charger is the only one you need to keep all your Lithium Polymer (LiPoly) or Lithium Ion (LiIon) rechargeable batteries topped up. No matter the power source at your disposal! The Adafruit Universal USB / DC / Solar Lithium Ion/Polymer Charger can use USB, DC or Solar power, with a wide 5-10V input voltage range! The charger chip is super smart, and will reduce the current draw if the input voltage starts to dip under 4.5V, making it a perfect near-MPPT solar charger that you can use with a wide range of panels.

Even though Adafruit designed it with solar in mind, it's also great as a plain USB or DC charger - Adafruit like that you can use 5V or 9V chargers without worry, and the high charge rate is great for quickly charging up those large battery packs!

Compared to Adafruit's earlier, MCP73871-based charger this universal charger has some nice improvements:

  • USB Type C port for modern computers and chargers
  • Up to 1.5A charge rate
  • Up to 10V input voltage, 28V protected
  • Load output is regulated to never be over 4.4V so it's safe for 3.3V regulators or 5V boost converters
  • No stabilization capacitor needed (although you can add one if you like!)
  • Same load sharing so that DC/USB/Solar is prioritized over battery power when available, to keep the battery from cycling
  • Power Good LED lets you know that the charger is working
  • Less expensive

However...

  • The max load current is 1.5A instead of 1.8A
  • There is no 'Done' LED - when the CHG LED turns off, thats how you know charging is complete

This charger is a breeze to use for solar projects: pick up any of Adafruit's many 3.7V/4.2V LiIon batteries, and a 6V solar panel. Plug the battery into the BATT port using a 2-pin JST cable and the solar panel into the DC jack using a 2.1mm adapter cable Put the solar panel outside (and keep the battery out of the sun, it needs to be kept cool!) to start charging. You can power another project at the same time by connecting to the LOAD output port, which will never go above 4.4V.

The bq24074 which powers this design is great for solar charging, and will automatically draw the most current possible from the panel in any light condition Even thought it isn't a 'true' MPPT (max power point tracker), it has near-identical performance without the additional cost of a buck-converter. Adafruit's detailed tutorial on how to use this charger includes a design document explaining how it all works.

For use with Adafruit Lipoly/LiIon batteries only! Other batteries may have different voltage, chemistry, polarity or pinout.

Comes with an assembled charger board, and  bit of header. Does not come with a Lipoly battery or solar panel but we do have tons available in the shop that work quite well.

Features:

  • 3.7V/4.2V Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer battery charger
  • Charge with 5-10V DC, USB or 5-10V solar panel, can have both USB and DC plugged in at the same time, higher voltage source will be used.
  • Automatic charging current tracking for high efficiency use of any wattage solar panel
  • Use any 5-10V solar panel
  • Two color indicator LEDs - Power good and Charging
  • Set for 1000mA max charge rate, can be adjusted to 500mA or 1.5A by soldering closed a jumper
  • Will always draw the most current possible from a solar cell - up to the max charge rate!
  • Smart load sharing automatically uses the input power when available, to keep battery from constantly charging/discharging, up to 1.5A draw. Load output is regulated to no-more-than 4.4V
  • Optional Temperature monitoring of battery by soldering in a 10K NTC thermistor (not included) - suggested for outdoor projects where the battery may get hot (50°C) or cold (0°C).

This product is listed in:

Power & Batteries>Battery Chargers

Product Comments

Exact shipping can be calculated on the view cart page (no login required).

Products that weigh more than 0.5 KG may cost more than what's shown (for example, test equipment, machines, >500mL liquids, etc).

We deliver Australia-wide with these options (depends on the final destination - you can get a quote on the view cart page):

  • $3+ for Stamped Mail (typically 10+ business days, not tracked, only available on selected small items)
  • $7+ for Standard Post (typically 6+ business days, tracked)
  • $11+ for Express Post (typically 2+ business days, tracked)
  • Pickup - Free! Only available to customers who live in the Newcastle region (must order online and only pickup after we email to notify you the order is ready). Orders placed after 2PM may not be ready until the following business day.

Non-metro addresses in WA, NT, SA & TAS can take 2+ days in addition to the above information.

Some batteries (such as LiPo) can't be shipped by Air. During checkout, Express Post and International Methods will not be an option if you have that type of battery in your shopping cart.

International Orders - the following rates are for New Zealand and will vary for other countries:

  • $12+ for Pack and Track (3+ days, tracked)
  • $16+ for Express International (2-5 days, tracked)

If you order lots of gear, the postage amount will increase based on the weight of your order.

Our physical address (here's a PDF which includes other key business details):

Unit 18, 132 Garden Grove Parade
Adamstown
NSW, 2289
Australia

Take a look at our customer service page if you have other questions such as "do we do purchase orders" (yes!) or "are prices GST inclusive" (yes they are!). We're here to help - get in touch with us to talk shop.

Have a product question? We're here to help!

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