Hi
I am building a remote sensor module with energy harvesting capabilities. The energy to power the sensor will be taken from water flow in a pipe, but the flow is not constant through the day so a battery must be charged durring times with high flow so that the sensor can be supplied with power at lower flows. I have been looking at the LiPo battery but can see that it needs a constant charge current which can be supplied by eg.
https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Components/MAX1551-MAX1555-1.pdf
My question is then: What happens when the current generated by the dynamo is less then the charge current? I would think that the battery wont get charged, but would the approach then be to find a battery charger with a lower charging current? I guess this would be a normal problem when eg charging from a variable source like a solar panel.
Thanks for your time.
I am building a remote sensor module with energy harvesting capabilities. The energy to power the sensor will be taken from water flow in a pipe, but the flow is not constant through the day so a battery must be charged durring times with high flow so that the sensor can be supplied with power at lower flows. I have been looking at the LiPo battery but can see that it needs a constant charge current which can be supplied by eg.
https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Components/MAX1551-MAX1555-1.pdf
My question is then: What happens when the current generated by the dynamo is less then the charge current? I would think that the battery wont get charged, but would the approach then be to find a battery charger with a lower charging current? I guess this would be a normal problem when eg charging from a variable source like a solar panel.
Thanks for your time.
