Notecarrier CX v1.3 Solar charging?

Hardware
1

Hello when using the notecarrier-cxv1.3 can I charge my Lipo battery with a 5w 5V solar panel through the USB-c port?

I cant seem to find much information to whether I need a charge controller or if I can just plug it in.
my battery is connected to the onboard JST plug

Thanks

2

Hey @404HopsNotFound,

And welcome to the Blues community!

The Notecarrier-CX has a built-in LiPo charger IC that handles the full charge cycle (constant-current, constant-voltage, termination, and protection) automatically. Any time there’s power on the USB-C port, it will charge whatever’s connected to the JST connector.

That being said, when I ran your question by an LLM that had access to the CX’s schematics it did give me the following warning:

"A 5W/5V solar panel through the USB-C port will generally work, but there’s one thing worth checking first: the CX’s USB-C input accepts 4.5–5.5V, and solar panels’ open-circuit voltage (V_OC — what the panel outputs when nothing is drawing current) is typically 1.2–1.4× the rated voltage. For a “5V” panel that could be 6–7V, which would exceed the board’s maximum.

Before you plug in, check your panel’s V_OC spec:

  • If V_OC is under ~5.5V, you’re good to go as-is.

  • If your panel is marketed as a USB solar charger with a built-in regulator, it’s already safe — those hold the output to a stable 5V regardless of light conditions.

  • If V_OC exceeds 5.5V and there’s no onboard regulation, a cheap inline buck regulator set to 5.0V between the panel and the USB-C port will protect the board."

TJ

3

Thank you for your quick support