Dang it, didn't copy before posting and wordpress crapped out on adding a topic. Sigh. Try again:
Hi all - excited - 2 pspi4 boards should arrive tomorrow! Can finally give boy and nephew their Christmas presents 😉 Anyhow, I didn't see the battery option when pre-ordering else w0uld have added 4 to the order and not doubled up on shipping costs. Such is life but I have to figure out a temporary solution til a new order arrives either from othermod or hobbyking. I'm up in Canada and not seeing the exact spec'd battery online for ordering here - maybe my google fu is weak. Anyhow, I have a bunch of rc batteries kicking around but need to make sure I don't fry anything. Questions:
1. Is the turnigy battery the max physical size for the psp build?
2. Specs appear to be 1c for discharge rate - does that mean anything above 1c will work?
3. Is 3.7 max the board will handle or can one use a 2s 7.4 and the board can step it down? Could I use a pololu stepdown board in line for a 2s or more? I think I have one in the parts bin.
4. If I use a 600 mah will that just shorten run time?
5. any reason not to use an 18650 battery? Would it even fit in the psp? Would charger circuit work with it?
6. Can you disable the charger circuit and charge with a lipo charger and balance board?
7. Will the system run without a battery if plugged in?
That's the battery question in a nutshell. Feel free to make it an FAQ with the answers 😉
Ports - are the hdmi and usb ports on the raspberry pi zero w being used in the build? i.e. could I cut some holes in the shell and expose them for using for hooking up to tv and using a wireless controller and have a living room retro gaming system? Is that even feasible? Could one add kodi or xmbc to the system fairly easily?
Thanks! Looking forward to building these bad boys this weekend.Â
A bit of answering my own question re ports at least. If I'm reading this thread correctly, the hdmi is definitely available but usb would need some kind of hub mounted to the left of the board? Anyone done either?
1. Is the turnigy battery the max physical size for the psp build?
No. There is some extra space. The Turnigy one is just the closest I've found so far.
2. Specs appear to be 1c for discharge rate - does that mean anything above 1c will work?
This board doesn't pull much amperage, so anything 1c or more will definitely work.
3. Is 3.7 max the board will handle or can one use a 2s 7.4 and the board can step it down? Could I use a pololu stepdown board in line for a 2s or more? I think I have one in the parts bin.
It HAS to be a 3.7v cell. A 7.4 cell will damage the board. A step down will not work because they aren't bi-directional, so it won't be able to charge.
4. If I use a 600 mah will that just shorten run time?
Correct, it will work but you will get less play time.
5. any reason not to use an 18650 battery? Would it even fit in the psp? Would charger circuit work with it?
As long as the battery is a 3.7v one, it'll work. I don' know whether it will fit in there anywhere, haven't tried it.
6. Can you disable the charger circuit and charge with a lipo charger and balance board?
My board does all that stuff, so I'm not sure why it would be needed. I don't have any method built-in to disable circuits. You'd have to remove components.
7. Will the system run without a battery if plugged in?
I don't recommend it. Use a small battery at least, because power draw varies a lot and the charger might not be able to handle the fluctuations.
Ports - are the hdmi and usb ports on the raspberry pi zero w being used in the build? i.e. could I cut some holes in the shell and expose them for using for hooking up to tv and using a wireless controller and have a living room retro gaming system? Is that even feasible? Could one add kodi or xmbc to the system fairly easily?
The USB and HDMI ports are available. HDMI will not function when the LCD is used, and some software magic is needed in order to swap between them. The microUSB on the Pi works, and the same USB is also routed to the USB port on top of the PSP.