sigh. I charged the battery by plugging it in to a USB charger. I *did* leave it for (I think) two days. But it sounds like this should be OK.
I've always had "trouble" with charging (at the very least "confusion") I've had situations where I know it needs charging (software says the voltage is low) but the charge light doesn't go on (usually.) So I now just "plug it in (for a long time) and check it". So it looks like the only (quick, complete) solution is a new battery that I modify by removing the protection circuit. Given your information, it seems like other possibilities are: - Use 3 AAA batteries to power the TeleMetrum. - Use a separate Pyro battery as documented at http://www.altusmetrum.org/Documents/SeparatePyroBattery/ - (don't plug the TeleMetrum into USB) OR - Use 3 AAA batteries to power the TeleMetrum. - Use my StratoLogger to fire the e-matches. - (don't plug the TeleMetrum into USB) On Tue, Sep 10, 2013 at 3:23 PM, Keith Packard <kei...@keithp.com> wrote: > Peter Hackett <peter.hack...@cal.berkeley.edu> writes: > > > I'm off to Black Rock on Thursday. Not sure I'll be able to replace it by > > then. > > (I'm assuming it would be hard to find the right battery locally) > > Yeah, we use the same connector as some helicopter batteries, but the > polarity is reversed, which would destroy both battery and board if you > plug them together. > > Bdale has a pile of current stock, but he's in California until tomorrow > evening. I don't have any of the larger size left at this point or I'd > offer to ship one from here. > > We get them from SparkFun though, and they do offer overnight shipping: > > https://www.sparkfun.com/products/341 > > However, if you want to use them to fire charges, you'll need to remove > the current limiter board. If left in place, the battery will shut down > as soon as you try to fire a charge, leaving the board dead in the > air. Older SparkFun batteries had a different protection circuit which > worked fine with TeleMetrum, newer SparkFun batteries nearly always fail. > > It's a pretty simple soldering job, if you're up for the adventure. > > http://www.altusmetrum.org/Documents/FixBattery/ > > > Anyone want to chime in on whether AAA's will be big enough? > > > > > Also, I guess I should be concerned about battery internal resistance. > > Will 3 standard alkaline > > batteries in series be able to provide enough current to light the > > e-matches? > > Not recommended for a couple of reasons: > > *) TeleMetrum will try to charge them when plugged in over USB. There's > no way to disable the charger, and the board cannot run without a > battery in place. > > *) AAA batteries have a higher internal resistance than lithium > polymer batteries, which means if you try to fire an e-match, the > voltage seen by the board will drop low enough to reset the board. > > > RE over-charge: > > > > Can that happen using the TeleMetrum to do the charging? > > The charge controller on TeleMetrum shouldn't be able to overcharge an > undamaged battery. I've left them plugged in for weeks at a time without > problems. > > -keith >
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