Trying Out Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries Part 2 (Powering a Mini PC with LiTime 12V 12Ah LiFePO4)

Introduction

In this post, I tested whether I could power a mini PC using the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery I purchased recently.
Usually, power is supplied by converting AC to 12V DC with a power adapter. If I can supply power from a battery, I can mount the PC on a mobile robot. Although I am not an expert on power electronics, I conducted an operational test by actually supplying power to the system.

▼I am using a LiTime 12V 12Ah lithium iron phosphate battery.

Trying Out Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries Part 1 (LiTime 12V 12Ah LiFePO4)

Info This article is translated from Japanese to English. Introduction In this post, I purchased a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery and created custom …

趣味的ロボット研究所

▼Previous articles:

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趣味的ロボット研究所

Component Selection

I need to convert the LiFePO4 battery's voltage (which is around 13.3V) to a stable 12V DC to supply the mini PC.
▼I am using the mini PC I purchased previously.

Shopping: Mini PC and PiSugar 3

Info This article is translated from Japanese to English. Introduction A little while ago, during the Amazon Prime Day sale, I bought a mini PC that was signif…

趣味的ロボット研究所

▼It was around 17,000 yen when I bought it, but the price seems to have increased since then.

The mini PC unit and its AC adapter were labeled as 12V 2.5A. I purchased two different modules capable of 12V 5A output.
The first one is a buck-boost DC-DC converter.
▼I purchased this one. There are many DC-DC converters that look identical but offer different voltage outputs.

The second one is a regulated power supply module that allows for adjusting the voltage and output.
▼I purchased this one.

▼It can be connected via terminal blocks and comes with a fan and heat sinks.

I also prepared other necessary items for wiring.
▼I used these DC plugs to connect to the mini PC.

▼I used these connectors for the wiring.

▼I also included a fuse just in case.

Operation Check

First, I checked the voltage of the buck-boost DC-DC converter.
▼I always use this multimeter.

▼The output was slightly higher than 12V.

I supplied power to the mini PC and connected it to a monitor to verify.
▼It started up without any issues!

Next, I tried the regulated power supply module.
▼The screen turned on as soon as I applied power.

I verified the voltage with the multimeter.
▼When I set the output to 5V, the multimeter also read 5V.

▼By turning the dial, I was able to change it to 12V as well.

Pressing the button that glows green allows you to turn off the output.
▼It's very easy to operate and quite convenient.

I used this to supply power to the mini PC.
▼It started up successfully.

▼The current consumption was also displayed on the module.

▼When I shut down the mini PC, the current consumption decreased accordingly.

Both modules were able to boot the mini PC without any problems.

Finally

The regulated power supply module seems like it will be very useful. The one I bought this time supports up to 5A, but there are versions available that support even higher outputs.
▼There were products compatible with 10A or 20A as well.

I am also considering using this to slowly charge the LiFePO4 battery. My current charger has a high output current, so I am looking for a way to charge it more gradually.

▼The battery charger is a product from the same company as the battery.