I’m experimenting with a less costly Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) solution for the Dreamcatcher v3.05 using a 5,300 mAh LiPo. I’ve tried it before with some success, but believe it is worth resurrecting. The Adafruit Power Boost 1000 costs $19.95 (and you have to install the USB plug on the right side of the circuit board) - -
coupled with a Boston Power Swing 5300 cost $15.99 - -
The combination will supply the DC a reliable 1 amp of power at 5.2 vdc while keeping the LiPo charged. Loss of power to the Adafruit enables the LiPo to run the DC for about 4 hours. Ken
Well yes - - that’s what I have been doing with the EasyAcc 20000 mAh device which works fine.
This alternative costs less and is smaller. The problem in finding a Powerbank is getting one that won’t disconnect the USB supply to the device it feeds when the primary power to the Powerbank shuts down. Ken
Has anyone seen this? If their claims are true it has twice the capacity and output power for about the same price.
I still think dreamcatcher should be powered by 12v. Anywhere you go their is a 12v source available. With 5v an adapter will always be needed. A ups would be easier as well, just connect a dreamcatcher to a battery and a charger to the battery and you have a ups.
I used to think the"uninterrupted" was important… not really my latest thinking…
my ideas
Receive for at least 8 hours after losing “normal” power (keep the downloads pseudo current)
Operates autonomously rebooting when power comes back.
What could fit in space inside the dreamatcher case.
Multiple power options like 12v and solar and battery and normal ac… are all one-time setups (complex setups will lead to troubles)
I like something like
My feeling is if the “normal” power is not available, then wifi routers, and power to whatever devices are trying to connect to the dreamcatcher would not be available
I have discovered the The Adafruit Power Boost 1000 cannot sustain the Dreamcatcher v3.05’s BIas-T voltage to the LNB. The DC stays connected to my client Lan and lets me in fine, but the Bias-T shuts down.
I believe this is because the Adafruit is being maxed out at 1 amp running/charging. I’m looking at another idea Jerry @maxboysdad has suggested which runs at 2.4 amps. Ken
Like the “power break” on Power Banks, when my power goes off taking down my Dreamcatcher, cable MODEM, and router, the Dreamcatcher comes up several seconds before my router. As a result, the DC doesn’t get an IP address assigned.
It caused me quite a bit of consternation when I was away from home. At least when I’m near them, I can do another DC reboot and bring it up on my network.
Essentially, the DC must be the last device to reconnect. Ken
could this be solved by just scheduling the dreamcatcher to do a forced automatic reboot every 12 or 24 hours, and get it’s up assignment re-set,. my routers are all set to maintenance reboots everynight.
I like setting everything up for unattended operation
I have used a standard AC light timer on my Dreamcatcher at one time. I set it to shut power down for 15 minutes 2 times a day. That way if the whole house went down and my DC wouldn’t come back because of the router slow boot, eventually, the DC would get cycled to reboot
The solution also overcame the miscellaneous shutdowns that occurred in the DC as the DC would get rebooted twice a day. Ken
yes, I would like a cron job in the dreamcatcher,. I don’t see a problem having to log back after a scheduled re-boot , if it clears any accumulated errors and keeps things running.
many people don’t like this… but I like reliability over a bragging statistics that it had stayed up a real long time
Search for li-ion charging and 5v boost and power bank on most auction/Asian shopping sites to get very inexpensive options. 2amp boost boards for a 3.7v Li-ion cell(of sufficient wattage) is easy to find, I think I have a few sitting in my toolbox next to me to eventually match with a stack of phone cells to make cheap DIY power banks, these also have the 3.7v li-ion to 5v 10w step-up or boost board for USB out.
(edit)
I should add that anyone trying this should be well versed on soldering and checking polarity. Li-ion cells are a powerful chemical energy store, a cell without an in line protection circuit is not unusual or unsafe when used properly but can also explode like an M-80 firecracker or burn furiously if dead shorted.
