PowerBoost 1000 Charger - Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost @ 1A - 1000C

If your project uses USB power and/or a LiPo battery, then the PowerBoost 1000 is about to become your favourite bit of gear! So what is it?

The PowerBoost is a USB charger for any single cell (3.7V/4.2V) LiPo/LiIon battery which can power another USB device at the same time. And if you want to make your project mobile, not only can you charge your LiPo on this board, but it contains a built-in load-sharing, DC/DC converter which allows the same LiPo to power the USB port with 5.2V for your portable projects!

If you're after something simpler and dont need the 1A battery charger, smart load-sharing, or 1A iOS resistors, check out the Powerboost 500C.

Why 5.2V you might ask? Well, fortunately for us, Adafruit thought ahead. 5.2V is within the USB specification so all USB devices should work with it, but it prevents the voltage falling below 5V when using longer USB cables or during high current draw. There are two on-board charging indicator LEDs, the yellow one will light up when on, and the green one will light up when charging is complete.

The load-sharing circuitry automatically switches over to USB power (via the microUSB port) when available to ensure maximum charging efficiency for the battery. You can use this features as a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) for your projects!

The PowerBoost 1000 uses a TPS61090 boost converter from TI. This chip has some awesome features and specs which help make the PowerBoost 1000 so great. Take a look at the specs below.

Tech Specs:

• Synchronous operation means you can disconnect the output completely by connecting the ENable pin to ground. This will completely turn off the output
• 2A internal switch (~2.5A peak limiting) means you can get 1000mA+ from a 3.7V LiPoly/LiIon battery. Just make sure your battery can handle it!
• Low battery indicator LED lights up red when the voltage dips below 3.2V, optimized for LiPo/LiIon battery usage
• Onboard 1000mA charge-rate 'iOS' data resistors. Solder in the USB connector and you can plug in any iPad, iPhone or iPod for 1000mA charge rate.
• Full breakout for battery in, control pins and power out
• 90%+ operating efficiency in most cases (see datasheet for efficiency graphs), and low quiescent current: 5mA when enabled and power LED is on, 20uA when disabled (power and low batt LED are off)
• 23mm x 45mm x 10mm
• Weight: 6g

The PowerBoost 1000 is capable of charging at up to 1A, which means that when you're charging and using the USB output, you'll want to make sure you're using a USB supply which is capable of 2A to take into account the DC/DC conversion losses.

The PowerBoost comes assembled and ready to go, with a loose USB A jack. You can solder this on for the USB output, or use the two power pads for a terminal block output, or solder wires directly for an even more compact setup.

If you're trying to figure out how much current your project is using, check out the CHARGER DOCTOR!