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Use iPhone battery as power source? — Parallax Forums

Use iPhone battery as power source?

mspeediemspeedie Posts: 12
edited 2015-02-07 23:12 in General Discussion
I've got a working iPhone battery that I'd like to use as a power source (it's a 3V battery).

When I peeled back the black tape on the battery, there was a very small circuit board attached. I'm assuming the circuit board tells the phone how much charge is in the battery.

Does anyone know if I can just remove the circuit board and attach leads to the battery and charge it normally? Has anyone done this? If I don't get any good responses, I'll just do it and post my results.

Thanks

Comments

  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2015-02-07 23:12
    The iPhone 4 and 5 used a 3.7-3.8V battery. If it is that battery, 3.0 volts may just be beyond the point that it will recharge. You need to confirm that it is indeed a good 3.0 volt battery or 3.7 volt battery in need of immediate recharge.

    There are significant safety issues with removing that tiny circuit board. You really need to seek out a website that is dedicated to opening and hacking iPhones to get good info. Others can only guess.

    Your first order of business is to determine if the battery is working properly. Low voltage beyond a certain point can make these devices usless - unsafe and impossible to recharge. Recharging beyond a certain voltage can also do damage beyond repair. What exactly was the rated voltage on that black package you opened? That is key information to start with.

    That tiny board likely regulates charge, discharge, and monitors temperature to avoid such problems. It does NOT merely indicate state of charge, that is a rather complicated process usually done via recordkeeping and math calculation in the actuall operating system.

    Here is a 3.7v protection board for reference. http://www.batteryspace.com/PCB-for-3.7V-of-Li-Ion-Battery-2.0A-limit.aspx

    You might google "hacking iPhone battery" and seek out something you like. Or try "inside iPhone" to get an explaination. Or even better, try "iPhone 4 teardown" or whatever number is what you desire..

    Overcharged or abused lithium ion cells can go up in a fireball. There are several safety issues that need adequate research.
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