Hello, I'm planning to make a robot car with L298N, HC-05 and an Arduino UNO, and some sensors. All of them combined draw 1900 mA of current. The problem I'm having is the Li-ion battery.
I'm planning to buy two battery packs rated 3.7v and 6000mAH. It has great reviews and has a built-in BMS. But I can't figure out how can I charge one of them.
There is a module called TP4056 that is capable of charging single Li-ion batteries and also comes with some safety features. Since the battery pack is rated 3.7 volts, I thought I can charge it maybe.
But I have also heard problems such as overheating by charging a battery pack by using TP4056.
Can I charge my battery pack by using TP4056?
If yes, are there any precautions that I need to take care of?
If no, are there any chargers that can charge my battery pack?
Here are the specifications of the Li-ion battery pack:
Voltage: 3.7v
Capacity: 6000 mAH
Charging: Regulated DC, CCCV 4.2V
Standard Charging of this battery: -10 to +55 ℃
Recommended storage temperature: -20 to +55 ℃.
Self-Discharge: < 2% per month
Safety features:
Pack under-voltage protection
Over-voltage protection
Under-voltage protection
Over load protection
Over current protection
Short circuit protection
Reverse polarity protection
I hope that this information is enough for you to answer. Thank you for the replies!
The TP4056/TC4056 are great. They are usually set to a 1A charge rate which is perfect for a 6000mAh battery. Since your batteries already have protection, buy the TP4056 versions without the built in battery protection,
Are you planning to run the robot by connecting the two battery packs in series to make ~7.4V?
If not, then you need to rethink the other components. Uno needs 5V, but there are many other types of Arduino that need only 3.3V. L298N has a high voltage drop and there may not be enough voltage remaining for your motors from a 3.7V battery. But there are other, better, more efficient motor drivers available.
The main issue is that a TP4056 does not allow for power sharing, you should not draw current from the battery or the charger while it is charging.
That's not a problem, I can remove the batteries from the robot and charge them, I do not need my robot to run while plugged in to the wall.
that is significant, but should be ok, but at what voltage are you planning to run the UNO ?
My UNO and the sensors will be running at 5v with an XL4015 buck converter. The XL4015 can provide up to 5 amps of current, which is why I am using a buck converter.
Are you planning to run the robot by connecting the two battery packs in series to make ~7.4V?
Yes, I actually decided at first to run 11.1v batteries, but they were very expensive, and the TP4056 can only handle a 3.7v battery, so I decided to buy two 3.7v battery packs and connect them in series.
buy the TP4056 versions without the built in battery protection,
I can do this, but then I will need to buy individual 18650 batteries and make a pack by using 18650 holders. This is a lot of work and a lot of complextion
There are two different versions of the TP4056 charger you can buy.
One has battery protection circuitry, the other does not
Since your batteries already have protection circuitry built in you should but the TP4056 charger version that does not include the extra battery protection circuitry
I would think that the battery protection circuitry built into the battery is optimized for that particular battery and the one on the TP4056 would be generic
I suggest that instead of using modules with the TP4056, you use modules with the IP5306, because it has battery charge control and can also provide the 5V output you need for the UNO.
And it has an LED to inform the battery level.
According to the datasheet it can supply up to 2.4 A at the output.
That seems overkill. I doubt that the Uno and sensors would consume more than maybe 100mA in total, in which case your buck converter is capable of supplying 50x more current than is needed. The Uno's onboard regulator would probably be able to supply enough.
