DIY- Battery Backup Hubitat- under TEN bucks-NO soldering

Also available from Amazon. Free Prime shipping:

https://www.amazon.com/ILS-Charger-Battery-Charging-Arduino/dp/B07PKN9BNB

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As I mentioned I have yet to receive mine so I cannot support my beliefs with actual data at this time.

However I understand the input 5V --> 3.7 volts supply is limited to 600 ma to protect the battery as this becomes the charging current. This also means if the load is 600 ma the battery will never get enough current to charge the battery. The 600ma can be increased with a resistor change.

I believe it will work with the Hubitat Hub because:
Measurements made on my C4 Hubitat hub are:

  1. Startup 600 to 700 ma; During startup the battery will be drained a little. As this only lasts for 3 to 5 minutes it should not be an issue. Note some folks with more applications and devices to initialize may run longer.

  2. Operating current is ~ 600ma. No battery charging during this time.

  3. Idle current is 310 ma. During idle, the battery will be charged with approximately 300 ma.

During my short measurement test my hub seemed to be idle most of the time so I suspect in my case this device will work as a UPS. I don't know if others with more apps and devices will be the same. But I suspect it will as I think the usage time to actually fully power the hub will be very low, allowing the 300ma charging current to more than enough to keep the battery at full capacity.
Note: like any Lithium-Ion charger the 300 ma into the battery will be reduced as the battery voltage reaches the 4.1x Volt range.

I'll update this post after I receive my device and have had a chance to perform more comprehensive testing.

John

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FWIW I got almost 8 hours on battery, using a genuine panasonic 18650 ~3400mAh. The idle current for the hub is very low, as you said 300mAh. Once you get your device you should observe the same. Maybe even better,my hub is a C4 with external dongle, likely uses more power than the newer C5

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@flotsam1

Have you ordered from Illumn before, I only ask because you mentioned them as being a Reputable local supplier.

I placed an order with them on Tuesday (02/4/20) on their website for four batteries. The website said "Your order has been received", and it gave me my order number and said, "You will receive an order confirmation email with details of your order and a link to track it's process.

I waited 24hrs and never received any email from them, I then called on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and left messages, and also sent emails via their website Support email address.

I noticed on Paypal the payment was processed 02/04/20, so I'm going try again on Monday to contact them, before I have to open a dispute with them on Paypal on Tuesday.

Yes, I have ordered from them on a number of occasions. They are highly regarded on a DIY LED flashlight forum I used to hang out at.

Note that the items might be on backorder. I would suggest giving it another day or two before opening a dispute . . .

Shipping:

All orders are shipped out from the San Jose, California region. Orders will normally be processed and shipped out within 1-2 business days unless there are backorder items, orders will generally ship all together. Shipping estimates are provided by the service carrier and may not ultimately reflect actual shipping speeds. Shipping estimates do not include processing time. Shipment tracking will be emailed to the customer after the items are packaged and ready to go for USA customers. A shipping notification or shipping tracking will be emailed to International customers upon shipment depending on the chosen shipment method. Please allow 24-48 hours for the tracking code to update.

Thanks!

I went to their Facebook page today, and sent them a message about please checking their emails and phone messages as I have trying to get some info on my order.

I'll wait to see what happens next week before I get a hold of Paypal then, Thanks again!

Great sale going on at liionwholesale, another great supplier, albeit 40 cents more. All cells tested & guranteed. Been using for 4 years, zero isssues

And please no more links to flashlights websites, almost cost me 60 bucks, but I resisted.
Saw a flashlight for 800 dollars !. I'm bad but not that bad

Only? You got off lucky . . . :slight_smile:

The risk is that this is what we geeks/tinkerers/hobbyists do. And then along comes another "project". I did build 4 LED flashlights of varying size/output a couple of years back, and saved a heck of a lot of $$s by doing so. The high-end stuff is ridiculous in price and output! Jeez, I never wanted to have a portable aircraft searchlight . . . :slight_smile: What I've got is great for my needs, and they will light the property up when required.

@flotsam1

Hey just wanted to let you know I got my batteries today from Illumn!

I just wished they would have sent me some info about my order being processed and a tracking number like they stated they would, but a lest I got it now.

Thanks!

:+1::+1:

Small question, what the up time of the C4 with he one battery module?
I have seen they also sell the same module but with two batteries, so just wondering which one to get.

I too have only received my batteries (also from Illumn), however still waiting on the module.

If it helps the calculation for power time is ~ 6 hours so I figure I can expect an easy 4 - 5 hours.

John

With my C4 hub and this device with 1 new genuine Panasonic 3400mAh battery , I got around 8 hours, with wall power disconnected. I suspect I could have gone longer, but didn't want to risk it and 8 hours is well beyond what I need.

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Has anyone tried this with the new C7 hub? I'd like to have something like this as a UPS for my C7 if it works.

For this purpose, I believe the C7 is essentially the same device, no reason I can think of why it wouldn’t work.

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You have a very good point. I wonder how many people have ordered the parts to build this mini-UPS?

I've tested mine with no issues. I plan on a rule to shutdown hub after about 2 hours into a blackout.

Of course we just survived a 4 day blackout here in Connecticut. And of course the UPS is still on my bench having not gotten around to adding plugs for my C4 and putting it into a box.

John

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That's good to know. I've just ordered the main part from Banggood which will take almost 2 months to be delivered.

As did I.

Someone here recommended LI-ion Wholesale for the batteries. I bought mine there and they have a great selection and good prices.

John

No, the router could be off (and likely will be). There are a number of ways to sense power out, search the forum. I'll be using a Zigbee device that is plugged in and is a little talkative, it updates every 5 minutes.

So if the above doesn't respond within 16 minutes, it will "ping" one of the Inovelli dimmers. If no response from either then 1 1/2 hours later It will shut down the hub.

John

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