Product Description

The Battery Saver Board allows your project to get the maximum life out of its battery. The board provides power on/off control using the on-board push-button and or an external microcontroller (MCU) used in your project. On/off control is achieved by driving two digital signals, /ON and /OFF. Which allows you to automatically turn-off power to your projects after a desired amount of time. Example, turn off the power to your project if a user does not press any buttons for 5 minutes. Another example, using a proximity sensor to determine when a user is close and then waking up your project from sleep.

The Battery Saver Board features the MAXIM MAX1614, which is a high-side NMOSFET switch driver. The module's size makes it very useful in portable battery-powered applications but it can be used with continuous DC power sources or voltage regulators as well. The module allows for push-button on/off control with very low current consumption. Additionally, the module has an accurate low-battery detector that can be used to,

• Indicate a low-battery condition
• Provide an early power-fail warning to the system microprocessor
• Disconnect the battery from the load preventing deep discharge and battery damage

Features & Specifications

• Input/output voltage: +5VDC to +26VDC
• Input/output current: 3A max
• PCB size: 1.6 x 0.9 in.
• Module signals (ON, OFF, /LBO) can be driven or read using +3.3V and +5V logic devices
• Low power consumption extends the life of battery-powered projects (25µA max Quiescent Current, 6µA max Shutdown Current)
• Reverse current protection
• Adjustable under-voltage lockout that prevents batteries from discharging to unsafe voltage levels
• System Power Too Low alert allowing for memory backups and safe power-off housekeeping (/LBO is asserted LOW)
• MCU control of system power on and shutdown via /ON and /OFF latched input pins (see truth table on schematic and Github)
• Adjustable soft-start output to minimize system in-rush current during power-on
• Attaches to 0.1" spaced solderless and perforated breadboards (e.g. Arduino Proto Shield)

Getting Started

The C++ library and examples provided on GitHub allows one to use the Battery Saver Board to,

• Implement system idle timeouts, automatically powering off your projects after no user input for a desired amount of time
• Put an Arduino to sleep (low-power mode) after a desired amount of time and use the module's tactile switch to wake up your projects and resume normal functionality
• Manually power on/off your projects
• Perform power on sequencing, enabling control of which sections of your projects get powered on first

Usage Example

Demo