Does XIAO ESP32-C6 have low voltage protection for Li-ion battery?

Products & Technology XIAO
1

Hi,

I’m using the XIAO ESP32-C6 in a battery-powered project, and I noticed that the board has a built-in charging circuit for single-cell Li-ion/LiPo batteries, which is great.

However, I couldn’t find any clear information about whether the board includes low-voltage cutoff protection to prevent over-discharge of the battery.

Does the XIAO ESP32-C6 have any built-in protection to automatically disconnect the battery or shut down the board when the voltage drops below a safe threshold (e.g., ~2.5–3.0V)?
Or do I need to add an external protection circuit to avoid damaging the battery?

Thanks in advance for your help!

2

Hi there,

And Welcome here…

SO the schematic for the Xiao ESP32C6 linked on the WiKi shows the charge controller for the Battery to be a SGM40567-4.2XG/TR and from it own datasheet I see no mention of the sort of low voltage protection your asking about, Typically it’s installed on the battery itself. There are a couple threads on here with pictures and comments on the exact thing just for the Nrf52840 and C3 if I recall , do check those too.

Most bms on the lipos include it.

Others have said…
The SGM40567-4.2XG charger IC on the Xiao ESP32C6:

  • Handles charging only (4.2V termination voltage, constant-current/constant-voltage profile)
  • Has no over-discharge protection or battery cutoff logic
  • Its job ends when charging stops — it does not monitor battery voltage during use

Most reputable LiPo cells (especially round or pouch-type) include a tiny protection PCB that disconnects the cell at ~2.5–2.8V to avoid deep discharge.
If you’re using a bare cell without this, then yes, you’ll need to either monitor battery voltage in your firmware
(e.g., via analogRead(VBAT) on GPIO 10) or add an external protection circuit. :v:

If you want firmware-based safety:

  • Use an analog read on VBAT (GPIO10 on Xiao ESP32C6)
  • If voltage < 3.2V, show warning
  • If voltage < 3.0V, go into sleep mode

Bottom line is the Xiao ESP32C6 charges your battery but doesn’t protect it from being drained too far that’s what the battery’s BMS circuit is for. Make sure you’re using a Li-ion that has one built-in (most do), or add your own if you’re using bare cells.

HTH
GL :slight_smile: PJ :v: