Review / Measurement: Charger module with TP4056 controller

Ok, you made me do it: SMOKE and now I only have 4 working charger modules.

Good to know. :P Thanks for doing that though, I had considered using these as giveaway chargers(hooked up to a 1*18650 case) but now I won't. Did it do any damage to the battery? (short it out or anything like that)

Now that is real testing of a product.

I used a protected battery and when the charger start smoking (within a second) I disconnected everything again (Old habit). I did not even look at my meters to see if the protection was tripped. The protection is not tripped now, but I do not know if the protection does automatic reset on the used battery (intl-outdoor 3100).

I had checked the TP4056 datasheet first and it did not say anything about reverse battery protection, i.e. I was not very surprised when it went up in smoke.

Cool test!

And nice board for the DIY people.

Thank you for the review and tests.

Thanks for the testing, as well as releasing the magic smoke for us.

Thank you HKJ for your test of this charger board.

I have been using my four charger boards very successfully , powered by my 5V 4A switch-mode PSU … I have set the PSU voltage to a few mV below 5V and am very happy with the performance … My PSU has four USB sockets attatched and I have 50cm interconnect cables (USB to mini-USB) … I personally have no problem in using mini-USB connectors … For me it was just a simple matter of buying the right 50cm cables which are now kept in a box along with the charger boards , the PSU and the magnets.

Will you be testing these boards in parallel to give a higher charge current ? … Some users might prefer a higher charge current when charging 3100mAh Li-Ions … On the other hand , two boards in parallel with each set to a lower charging current than one amp would also reduce the temperature of the chip … That would only increase the charger cost by another £1 or so.

Can you suggest a better method of attatching a heatsink to the module or indeed to the chip itself ? … … I did try cooling with a small fan , but although it did cool the chip it didn’t seem to reduce the charging time significantly … I understand that these chips will tolerate a fairly high temperature so perhaps just a simple heatsink would be the way to go … My boards are used in a near vertical position with the USB at the top , so maybe there is a slightly better cooling airflow.

Thanks again for your great charger board tests (including the destructive test !).

s. Does the Cottonpickers charger use the same chip ?
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For four charger boards it would be easier to just solder a cable between them.
Micro usb connectors are much stronger than mini usb connectors and with many phones using them also much more common.

I do not plan on testing any more on them.

As you can see on my curves, there is no reduction in current at 5 volt input, but electronic always last longer at lower temperature. The easiest heatsink is just a piece of aluminium, where you place the board against (Remember some isolation between), as you can see on the temperature curve, the temperature was reduced significantly.

At one time it was TP4054, I do not know if he is still using that chip.

Is it possible to modify these charger for charging to 4.3V?

No, the 4.2 volt is part of the TP4056 chip.

Btw, it is not necessary to use smd resistor :bigsmile:

That shouldnt work when connected via USB.

, I do not know it it is easier to solder, but it is easier to see the resistor.

Why not? The in- is connected to the usb gnd power.

What insulation material do you suggest to go between the back of the board and the alluminium heat sink ? … Presumeably it would have to transfer the heat through to the alluminium.

Would it be better to glue (somehow) a small (finned) heatsink directly to the top of the chip instead ? … This would not need any insulation material.

Thanks again HKJ for your very valuable help.
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I've heard kapton tape works well. It is extremely thin but it will not conduct electricity.

Is the Kapton tape thermally conductive and double sided sticky ?

Just wondering whether to use Arctic Silver ceramic thermal paste (non-conductive) to glue a heatsink to the back of the board.

These heatsinks are 15mm X 15mm X6mm and are finned … £1-46 for five including postage.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silver-Tone-Aluminium-15x15x6mm-Heatsink-Cooling-Cooler-Fin-5pcs-/140851163319?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item20cb6230b7

On the other hand , copper shims might glue on the back of the board OK.

Or maybe just leave the charger boards as they are , without heatsinks … I have not had any trouble so far … If they do get too hot , the chip will apparently automatically reduce the current as necessary … It’s only for the first part of the charge that the chip heats up anyway and mine were less than 65C at worst … Even holding my finger on the chip for a while reduced the temperature according to my infra-red thermometer.

Perhaps I’m worrying too much.
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For me it looks like usb gnd and in- are in parallel, so usb gnd would bypass the resistor. I could be wrong of course.

And yes, you are wrong

I have decided to add a heatsink to my boards.

Heat sinks. 15mm X 15mm X 6mm Aluminium.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140868269228?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Sekisui 5760 double sided tape.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230868705181?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I will use the double-sided tape to hold the aluminium heatsinks to the underside of the charger board … I hope this will give some reduction in chip temperature during the first part of the charge cycle … It certainly can’t do any harm.
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It will definitely reduce temperature.