Adding a power switch

Started by tleavitt, January 03, 2022, 03:00:18 PM

tleavitt

Im making a R/C remote control for a remote vehicle using the M0 since it has on board LiPo battery charging circuitry, but I don't see a way to add a power switch. Since its a battery operated remote, I want to be able to turn it off when not in use but I also want to be able to charge it while its off. Has anyone else come up with any good ways to add a power switch downstream of the charger circuit?
The simplest way I see looking at the schematic would be to lift the VI pin of the 3.3V regulator and solder it to a switch connected to the VIN pin on the M0. Given the small size of the VREG, this would probably be tricky. Hopefully somebody has something more elegant for me to implement. Might be beneficial to add a set of solder pads or a 0 ohm resistor to make this easier on future boards.

Felix

It was not designed with that kind of scenario in mind, so yes you'd have to do some modding to insert a switch between the charger and the rest of the circuitry.
But might I ask - would it not be feasible to simply put the board to sleep when not in use (practically all the time), and wake when a button is pressed?
I think a majority of remotes for anything work this way.