USB Power your Quickstart board

tonyp12

First Download http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Utilities/FT_Prog_v2.8.2.0.zip
Click: Devices/Scan and Parse and after you made you changes: Devices/Program

By default the USB-host max allowed current is set to 90 mAmp, change it to 500 mAmp.



When you power your board trough a USB Charger it will of course not enumerate and the ftdi chip will never set PWREN# low and you will get no juice.
Change C3 to be BitBang RDn and it will stay low and you get power with both USB host and USB charger.

Some special chargers have minimum current or it will shut off, so test different onces.
Using Bitbang WRn will always stay high for then you never want to use USB-host power, useful if external 1amp power is used and usbport is only used for rx/tx debug etc.



You can also do the above functions in jumper settings on the Quickstart board or on your own add-on board.
Connect a 0-1k resistor between 6th pin from the right to gnd for always power on or 0ohm jumper to Vin for always off.

Toby Seckshund

I was reading that a lot of PC motherboards do not implement the current available stuff, but just rely on those thermally resettable fuses, and they are always on the generous side, and SSLLOOWW. Great if you want a bit more for the project, but not if a fault crops up.

RS_Jim

Bump thread
I needed some reference material for quickstart mods for external power.
jim

RS_Jim

A 1 K resister and I can power my quickstart from a portable cellphone power bank! Brainpower for my Bot!
Delema, do I use another power bank for Motors or 5 NiMh rechargable D cells for Motor power? Lets see, power bank charges from USB NiMh requires charger, power bank just needs a USB cord to power bot. I think the answer is geting clearer.
Jim