I have several ESP32S3 board. I’d like to use them in a setting where mains power is not guaranteed. The idea was I hook up batteries to the device, and mains power.
My expecation was for the device to switch automatically and charge when needed. It does not.
it resets when there is a battery connected and it’s on mains power using the USB connector, and one then unplugs the USB.
Also, if the battery is disconnected and then connected again to a running device, it does not start charging.
Anyone got experience with this? As it is right now, it’s unusable.
It depends on the load and battery ability to supply necessary power.
In my case I have a Super Capacitor (or Ultracap) as the “battery” and it can handle a maximum current of 630mA (130mA continuous), so I detect the (5V from Solar) power “fail” and switch to “battery mode” - shutting down certain functions.
If the “battery voltage” goes too low, I isolate it and put the ESP32 into (timed) Deep Sleep.
The resistor is part of the voltage divider for a sensor. The battery is a 1100Mah Lipo.
What I’ve noticed… it charges (flashing led) until it’s full. But once full, it stops charging, never to resume again. Also flickig the switch while in operation on USB, will cause a crash. Removing the usb while in operation, same thing.
Check which PMIC your board uses, if any.
If it’s bare TP4056, it won’t support auto power switching.
Try a dev board with proper PMIC (like IP5306 or BQ24074).
