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Getting Started: Installing a 3.7V Lithium Ion Battery

Getting Started: Installing a 3.7V Lithium Ion Battery

The Open Colorimeter can be powered by USB or a 3.7V lithium ion battery. To use the Open Colorimeter without a battery, simply plug in the USB cable for power. However, we recommend using a battery as the instrument works best as a portable device.

Currently we are not shipping lithium batteries with the Open Colorimeter, so you will need to purchase one. However, these are readily available from Adafruit and Sparkfun. We have listed some options below.

The battery we use regularly is the Adafruit 3.7V 420 mAh lithium ion battery.

Lithium Ion Polymer Battery with Short Cable - 3.7V 420mAh
Lithium-ion polymer (also known as 'lipo' or 'lipoly') batteries are thin, light, and powerful. The output ranges from 4.2V when completely charged to 3.7V. This battery has…
Adafruit LogoAdafruit Industries

There are three other options listed below as well.

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When choosing a 3.7V lithium battery, make sure it has a 2-pin JST-PH connector and that the polarity of the battery is correct. The polarity of the battery should match the Adafruit battery (Adafruit Product ID: 4236) shown above. Other battery brands may have reverse polarity and connecting a battery with reverse polarity can damage/destroy the battery.

Installation Instructions

Step 1: Use a screwdriver to remove the 4 corner screws. Take off the black 3D printed cover and set it aside.

Step 2: Take out the PyBadge and flip it over. There is a battery clip attached the the back of the PyBadge.

Step 3: Connect the battery as shown in the image below.

Step 4: Insert the battery into the battery holder as shown in this image.

Step 5: Place the PyBadge into the enclosure as shown here. You will likely need to do some cable management - feed the excess cable back under the cuvette holder. When you are finished it should look like this image below.

Step 5: Place the cover over the PyBadge. Place a screw into one of the corner holes and a nut in the recessed hole on the bottom. You will have to hold the nut in place with your finger and a screwdriver to tighten the screw. Repeat until all 4 corner screws are in place.

This image shows the four recessed nuts in place

Step 6: And that's it! You can switch on your Colorimeter and are ready to start using it.

Charging the battery

When you switch the Open Colorimeter on, you will see a battery display that tells you the charge level on the battery. When this is low, plug in the micro USB cable to charge the battery.