I've been using the iphone wall charger to power my arduino as it waits for rf signals from another arduino. The problem is that I want to make the arduino and the wall iphone plug integrate into just one device to make it clean and without the wires, because I want to install it in a small hole in my wall..
So my question is, does anyone know what parts are inside the iphone wall charger, so I can just build it myself and not have to break open a decent charger that works? Or if you have better ideas on how to power from the line directly, it would be much appreciated
So you want to know what you would need to build a power source that you could build onto the arduino board? I'm not honestly sure about the specific parts other than a transformer and a few capacitors. But I think it would be easier/possibly cheaper to just buy a cheap like $1 transformer and break it apart and make an enclosure for both its board and your arduino
Since you're dealing with 120V coming in, I could go this route: http://www.dipmicro.com/store/DCA-07510
Small, inexpensive, plugs right into your board. Safe! No messing with line voltage.
Adafruit sells a kit called Minty Boost that will charge a iphone. They publish the circuit diagram so you can see what's required to charge a iphone. Basically it just needs a regulated +5vdc, however you do have to wire some pull-up resistors to +3vdc for the USB D+ and or D- pins so that the iphone thinks it's connected to a 'real' apple charger.
does anyone know what parts are inside the iphone wall charger
There is no magic. Technically it isn't a "charger." The charging circuit is in the device itself. The "iphone wall charger" is just a regulator 5V source. Inside is a standard AC to DC circuit and a 5V regulator.
It would probably safer to use something off-the-shelf than design your own AC to DC circuit. Use the "wall wart" Crossroads provides or just put a USB port on our enclosure to connect a USB cable between the project and any "usb wall wart."
Adafruit sells a kit called Minty Boost that will charge a iphone.
This handles the DC to DC part of the circuit but doesn't do anything to convert the wall's AC to DC.
This handles the DC to DC part of the circuit but doesn't do anything to convert the wall's AC to DC.
Yes, I know that. I was just showing (via the Adafruit minty project) that the iPhone needs only a regulated +5vdc for charge current not matter how you generate that voltage.
However the iPhone will not start charging unless it sees +3vdc wired to the USB data pins, D+ and D-. That was the key information required for anyone attempting to charge a iPhone by other then an 'approved' iPhone designed charger.
Its not even that much though. I've bought a ton of power sources from ebay for around a dollar each. All of them were 5v and 500mA which is really common. A one minute search gave me this
I ended up buying an iphone charger from ebay (the 3 dollar ones that only work on older versions).. I'll use a dremel tool on it to see whats inside, and hopefully be able to recreate the circuit to integrate into my arduino project. (It's very important to me that it's small so the whole thing would fit into my project, which is why the wall warts wont work)
