Testing PowerBoost 1000C clone before use

[kryan]

Good day All,

On a whim I tried sourcing a boost converter/lipo charger on Alibaba. I pointed a PCBA manufacturer to the PowerBoost 1000C page and asked if it was possible to have something similar. They assured me it was possible and quoted a price of $6 per PCB sample. After paying for the order and waiting a few weeks I received this nearly one to one clone of the board.

IMG_20171125_172154.jpg (1.07 MiB) Viewed 8489 times

IMG_20171125_155531.jpg (936.52 KiB) Viewed 8489 times

The board came with a test report for the charge and boost function. Based on this report, would it be suitable for a GBZ build? Also, before I use it, how do I verify these results for myself, and how do I check for the smart load-sharing function?

Thanks.

[VeteranGamer]

Good day All,

On a whim I tried sourcing a boost converter/lipo charger on Alibaba. I pointed a PCBA manufacturer to the PowerBoost 1000C page and asked if it was possible to have something similar. They assured me it was possible and quoted a price of $6 per PCB sample. After paying for the order and waiting a few weeks I received this nearly one to one clone of the board.

The board came with a test report for the charge and boost function. Based on this report, would it be suitable for a GBZ build? Also, before I use it, how do I verify these results for myself, and how do I check for the smart load-sharing function?

Thanks.

just to be clear

did you have it cloned, or did you buy the clone (which the manufacturer had)?.......


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[kryan]

I asked if they can make a 5v boost/lipo charger that functions like the PowerBoost 1000C. Didn't know that I would receive an almost exact copy. If the topic of such PCBs is against the forum's rules, can an admin please delete the thread. Thanks.

[VeteranGamer]

I asked if they can make a 5v boost/lipo charger that functions like the PowerBoost 1000C. Didn't know that I would receive an almost exact copy. If the topic of such PCBs is against the forum's rules, can an admin please delete the thread. Thanks.

Personally I think for $6 they would not have gone to the lengths of designing/cloning it for you (could be wrong)....

It's more than likely it's a product that's already been cloned, and they've sent you an off the shelf product (most adafruit and spark fun products have been cloned)....

My only concerns would be the quality of it...
As I've been made aware, some of these clones are not fit for purpose...

Only way of knowing is to test it....

Also share the link where you got it, it might give a better indicator of what it's all about...

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[kryan]

No direct product link unfortunately, but the manufacturer on Alibaba is a company called I.C. Engineering https://fbice.en.alibaba.com.

How should I go about testing the board before hooking it up to my actual hardware?

[VeteranGamer]

No direct product link unfortunately, but the manufacturer on Alibaba is a company called I.C. Engineering https://fbice.en.alibaba.com.

How should I go about testing the board before hooking it up to my actual hardware?

looking at the company,
i dont think you can be blamed for having clones made of adafruit products.....
its more than likely these were already floating around.....


as for testing....
me personally, i would have just hooked something up to it, and just stood back (maybe not recommended)....
whats the worse that can happen.....

maybe someone with a bit more technical knowledge could chime in.....


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[rodocop]

i'm sure it's fine, connect a battery, and something to power. See what happens. You can double check voltages with a volt meter.

[salami738]

i'm sure it's fine, connect a battery, and something to power. See what happens. You can double check voltages with a volt meter.

And please - for your own safety - double check that the clone stops the lipo charging at 4,2V.
LiPos and LiIon batteries react extreme to overcharging!
You dont want your house to be burned down for 6$.

One differenct to the adafruit one is the output voltage. Adafruit says on the page that they use 5,2V output voltage to stabilize the output. This one has a slightly lower output voltage. Shouldnt be a problem.

[YaYa]

Could be a problem with big sudden current draws that will drop voltage... better to throw some head room !

[Fixmylife]

Its likely they just went to the adafruit website and copyed everything. Adafruit is open source they share all their pcbs anyone can just copy it