Buddipole PowerMini USB User manual

Copyright © 2020 Buddipole, Inc. All rights reserved.
Phone: [phone] Email: [email protected]
BUDDIPOLE
POWER
COMPACT PORTABLE DC POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
WITH BUILT IN SOLAR CONTROLLER
USER GUIDE
The Buddipole POWER mini USB is a unique,
12 V DC pocket sized power control system
particularly suited for portable operations.
This highly integrated device incorporates the
functions of a solar charge controller, battery
management system, power monitoring device
and power distribution in a small, robust and
weather resistant package.
Despite its small size the unit handles a load
current of up to 35A and solar panels up to
150W output.
Built in monitoring provides you an instant view
of how well your battery is keeping up with the
demands of your radio as well as the
performance of your solar panel.
A USB charger port is also provided to charge
devices such as cell phones or tablets.

CONTENTS
Copyright © 2020 Buddipole, Inc. All rights reserved.
Phone: [phone] Email: [email protected]
GETTING STARTED ..................................................................................................................................... 1
PRODUCT OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................... 1
POWER SYSTEM CONNECTIONS ...................................................................................................................... 1
QUICK START GUIDE .................................................................................................................................. 2
OPERATIONS.............................................................................................................................................. 3
MENU NAVIGATION .................................................................................................................................... 3
CHANGING USER SETTINGS ........................................................................................................................... 4
Battery Settings.................................................................................................................................. 4
Control Settings.................................................................................................................................. 5
POWER SYSTEM MONITORING ....................................................................................................................... 6
Status Page ........................................................................................................................................ 6
System Report.................................................................................................................................... 7
OTHER FUNCTIONS...................................................................................................................................... 8
Display Timeout ................................................................................................................................. 8
Auto Shutdown (under voltage condition) .......................................................................................... 8
Auto Shutdown (over voltage condition) ............................................................................................ 8
Output Overload ................................................................................................................................ 8
Audible Alarm Cancel ......................................................................................................................... 9
Solar Charger Disconnect ................................................................................................................... 9
USB Dedicated Charger Port (DCP) ..................................................................................................... 9
Fault reporting ................................................................................................................................... 9
Operating Time .................................................................................................................................. 9
Default Settings................................................................................................................................ 10
Restore Factory Defaults .................................................................................................................. 10
TECHNICAL REFERENCE ............................................................................................................................ 11
BATTERY TYPES......................................................................................................................................... 11
BATTERY HEALTH ...................................................................................................................................... 12
BATTERY SETTINGS .................................................................................................................................... 12
Battery Management Systems (BMS) ............................................................................................... 12
SPECIFICATIONS....................................................................................................................................... 13

GETTING STARTED
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 1 350-00103-5
GETTING STARTED
Product Overview
INPUTS/USB OUT
High contrast OLED display
DC OUTPUTS
Battery Input
(Blue/Black)
USB Charger output
Solar panel Input
(Yellow/Black)
DC output 1
(Red/Black)
DC output 2
(Red/Black)
Menu buttons Power/Error LED
Figure 1 POWERmini USB controls and power connections
The front panel contains an OLED graphical display providing a comprehensive view of the 12 VDC power
system.
Three menu buttons are provided to navigate through the display screens and make user settings.
Power inputs are located on the left side of the unit together with the USB charger output.
The DC power outputs are on the right side of the unit.
All power connections use the popular Anderson Powerpole® family of low voltage high current
connectors which are popular in amateur radio particularly with emergency communications (EMCOMM).
Power System Connections
The battery that is used to power your radio is used by POWERmini USB to power the device.
POWERmini USB will turn on as soon as power is connected to the battery input. DC power is transferred
to the outputs If the battery voltages are in the normal range. This provides protection for both the radio
and the battery.
Battery charging is provided by connecting an external solar panel.
Figure 2 POWERmini USB power connections
Figure 3 POWERmini USB power connections
Any device that uses USB charging can be connected to the USB connector.

GETTING STARTED
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 2 350-00103-5
Quick Start Guide
POWERmini USB can be used with a wide variety of battery types and radios. Please read the following
section before using POWERmini.
•Check battery voltage polarity.
The BLUE Powerpole connector should be connected to the positive terminal of the battery
The BLACK Powerpole connector should be connected to the negative terminal.
Confirm the connections are correct using a DC voltmeter (DMM).before connecting to
POWERmini.
•Connect the radio and accessories to the output connectors
The RED Powerpole connector should be connected to the positive connection of the radio
The BLACK Powerpole connector should be connected to the negative connection of the radio
Before connecting to the radio confirm the connections are correct using a DC voltmeter (DMM).
•Press the SEL button briefly twice to view the Battery Setting page
Select the battery type that matches your battery (See page 4, Changing User Setting)
IMPORTANT: The factor settings are generic. Please refer to the battery manufacturers
recommendations for maximum charge voltage and minimum voltage. The default settings can
be reset to meet the manufacturers requirements (See page 4, Battery Settings)
•Check solar panel voltage polarity (if used)
The YELLOW Powerpole connector should be connected to the positive terminal of the solar
panel
The BLACK Powerpole connector should be connected to the negative terminal of the solar panel
Confirm the connections are correct using a DC voltmeter (DMM).before connecting to
POWERmini

OPERATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 3 350-00103-5
OPERATIONS
POWERmini optimizes the life of the battery by protecting the battery from overcharging or excessive
discharge. It accomplishes this by constantly monitoring the battery voltage and solar panel voltage and
determining the state of charge of the battery.
POWERmini USB is a programmable device allowing you to configure it to use with different types of
battery.
User settings include
•Low battery voltage trip point, reset point and early warning of low battery
•Automatic disconnect –provides protection from deep discharge
•Max charge voltage -customize to suit specific battery
•Over voltage trip point and reset point
This section provides information about how to get the most out of your POWERmini.
Menu Navigation
Moving between the different screens is accomplished by briefly pressing the SEL button. Each push of
the button steps the display through the different pages as shown in Figure 4 below.
Figure 4 Menu Selection

OPERATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 4 350-00103-5
Changing User Settings
There are eight parameters that you can set to configure the POWERmini USB to better suit your needs.
These settings are saved in non-volatile memory for automatic recall the next time you power up the unit.
The eight parameters are contained in the BATTERY SETTINGS and CONTROL SETTINGS pages.
Parameters in both the Battery Settings and Control Settings pages can be changed and saved to memory.
•Edit Mode
Press and hold the SEL button for about ½ second.to enter the edit mode in the Battery settings
and Control settings pages. When the edit mode is active a white edit box is drawn around the
parameter selected for adjustment beginning at the first line
•Parameter Adjustment
Use the UP / DOWN buttons located either side of the SEL button to change the value.
The value will change by one increment for each push of the button.
The figure below shows the edit page for the Control Settings.
.
Parameter under
adjustment
Use UP / DOWN buttons
to change the value.
Figure 5 Edit Threshold Voltage Edit page
Edit box
Each press of the SEL button
moves the box to the next
entry.
•Moving to the next line
To skip to another line briefly press the SEL button to move down the list and repeat until you
have reached the parameter you want to change.
•Saving parameters
To exit the edit mode and save your changes press the SEL button sequentially until the edit box
scrolls off the bottom of the list. A beep will sound to indicate that the changes have been saved.
Battery Settings
The Battery Settings page contains settings for the battery type, maximum battery charge voltage, the low
battery disconnect voltage, and the voltage at which POWERmini will reconnect the outputs following an
automatic disconnect. See Figure 6 below.
Figure 6 Battery Settings page
Battery Type Select the battery chemistry
(LiFePO4 (14.4V)/PbSO4/Li Polymer/LiFePO4 (10.8V)
Max Charge Voltage (9.5-15V)
Sets the 100% charge limit.
LV Trip (9.5 –13.0V)
Output is disconnected when voltage falls below this limit.
See page 8, Auto Shutdown (under voltage condition).
LV reset (0.5 –1.5 above the LV trip setting)
When the battery voltage is restored to exceed the LV reset
voltage the output is reconnected.

OPERATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 5 350-00103-5
Control Settings
This page contains settings for auto-cutoff audible alarm, over-voltage and under-voltage limits.
When Auto-Off is enabled POWERmini will automatically disconnect the load from the battery. When
Auto-off is disabled the output will not be disconnected but an audible alarm (if enabled) will sound.
Over voltage settings control the point at which POWERmini USB will disconnect or reconnect the battery
and the load.
Figure 7 Control Settings page
Auto off (Enable/Disable)
Select whether auto-shutdown is enabled or not.
Alarm (Enable/Disable)
Enable or disable the audible alarm that indicates when
an over voltage or under voltage condition has
occurred.
HV trip (15- 16V)
The output is automatically disconnected when it
exceeds this trip voltage
HV reset (0.5 –1.5 below the HV trip setting)
The output is reconnected after a HV trip when the
voltage is at or below this voltage limit

OPERATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 6 350-00103-5
Power System Monitoring
The Status and Systems Report pages provide information about input and output power and the state of
the battery.
Status Page
The left side of the Status page provides digital information about the battery including battery voltage,
load current and the amount of charge that has been provided by the battery to the load since power has
been applied.
The status of the audible alarm is also indicated here. When the alarm is enabled an asterisk is displayed
at the lower left of the page. The asterisk is not shown when the audible alarm is disabled.
Two vertical bar graphs are displayed at the center of the status screen. These provide a view of the
battery state of charge and the instantaneous load current (see Figure 8).
The upper and lower voltage thresholds are also shown as the thicker bars at the top and bottom of the
voltage bar.
Battery voltage
Load current
Figure 8 Left side of Status
page
Low voltage limit
High voltage limit
The lower edge of the box indicates the high
voltage disconnect (HVD) threshold.
Battery capacity
used
Audible Alarm
Enable Indicator
Warning messages
Battery voltage marker
The vertical position of the marker is from 10V
to 16V (illustration shows 13.61V).
Load current
The height of the bar graph indicates the
instantaneous current flowing to the load (full
scale =35A).
The right side of the Status page provides information about the solar panel performance.
See Figure 9 below for a brief description of the various fields.
Figure 9 Right Side of
Status page
Solar panel output voltage
The solar panel voltage will be different from the battery voltage when the
panel is not charging the battery.
Solar panel output current
The current being delivered from the solar panel to the battery.
Solar panel contribution to battery
The total charge delivered by the panel to the battery.
Solar Charge indicator
Indicates if the charger is in charge, float mode or off.

OPERATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 7 350-00103-5
System Report
The System Report page displays information about the system since the time when the POWERmini USB
was powered up.
See Figure 10 below for more details.
Figure 10 System Report page
Power Up Time
The operating time since the unit was powered on.
Solar Power
The instantaneous solar panel power output.
Solar Peak
The maximum output of the solar panel since the unit was
powered on.
Battery Use
Net battery charge used. The difference between charge used
and charge replaced by the solar panel.
(A negative value shows more charge has been put into the
battery than taken out).

OPERATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 8 350-00103-5
Other Functions
Display Timeout
The display is active as soon as the unit is powered on. After a period of about 5 minutes of inactivity the
display is automatically blanked. To turn the display back on briefly press any of the front panel buttons.
When the display is blanked the Front panel LED flashes periodically to indicate that the system is
operational.
Auto Shutdown (under voltage condition)
Auto-Shutdown automatically disconnects the battery from the load when the voltage falls below the Low
Voltage Disconnect threshold (LVD) The Auto-shutdown may be enabled or disabled by the user.
If the Auto-shutdown is enabled, when the battery voltage falls below the LVD, the Shutoff warning is
indicated at the bottom of the Status screen. Both the POWER LED (red to show alarm condition), and the
audible alarm (if enabled) will sound for a period of approximately 10 seconds. After this warning period
the POWERmini will disable the output and the audible alarm will stop.
The output will be automatically reconnected when the battery voltage rises above the Low Voltage Reset
threshold (LVR). (See page 4, Battery Settings) for information on how to change this value.
If the Auto-shutdown mode is disabled, the POWERmini will not disconnect the battery and after the
warning period the alarm will cease to sound. The shutdown message will be displayed on the bottom of
the Status page regardless of whether Auto Off is enabled or not.
IMPORTANT: Regardless of whether the auto-shutdown mode is enabled or not, if the battery voltage falls
below 10.1V POWERmini USB will automatically shut down and will not restart until it is reset by
disconnecting and then reconnecting the battery from the unit.
Auto Shutdown (over voltage condition)
Most amateur radio equipment is designed to operate from a power source of 13.8 V +/- 15% which is a
range from 11.7V to 15.8V. Check the specification for your specific radio as some have an upper limit of
15V and some are designed to operate at voltages below 11 V.
The output will be automatically disconnected when the battery voltage rises above the High Voltage
threshold (HVR).
Operating at higher voltage than the maximum may cause damage to the equipment and operating below
the minimum voltage may result in below normal performance (especially on transmit).
Output Overload
POWERmini USB protects the system from overload by automatically disconnecting the load if excessive
load current is detected. This is indicated by the Power LED flashing RED and an audible warning if the
audible alarm is enabled. The source of overload should be investigated and rectified before using the
system. The following procedure should be used to remedy the fault condition.
1. Disconnect the load from POWERmini USB (both ports) by removing the Powerpole load
connectors at the POWERmini USB end of the cable.
2. Disconnect the battery from the POWERmini USB
3. Reconnect the battery from the POWERmini USB and confirm that the unit powered up normally.
4. Visually inspect the output cables for damaged insulation or strands of wire shorting at either
end of the cable.
5. Check with an ohmmeter for a short circuit between conductors of the output cable.

OPERATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 9 350-00103-5
6. Resolve any issues found in steps 4 and 5 above and reconnect the output cables to the
POWERmini USB.
Audible Alarm Cancel
If the audible alarm is enabled, you can silence the audible alarm from the Status page by pushing the SEL
button and releasing after about 1 second. The audible alarm will remain disabled until you manually re-
enable it (see Figure 7 Control Settings page). The audible alarm is enabled when the asterisk is shown at
the lower left of the Status page (see Figure 8).
Solar Charger Disconnect
When a solar panel is only partially illuminated it may not provide enough voltage to charge the battery.
If POWERmini determines that the solar panel voltage is not sufficient then the solar panel input is
disconnected from the battery.
The POWERmini enables charging only when the battery is in the safe area. To prevents charging of a
possibly defective battery, POWERmini will not charge a battery at or below that voltage.
If POWERmini USB detects a solar panel output current greater than 11A the POWERmini solar input will
be automatically disconnected and the warning message “FAULT” will be displayed in the bottom of the
solar panel window. To reset the POWERmini solar input, disconnect the solar panel from POWERmini
and then reconnect it.
USB Dedicated Charger Port (DCP)
The 5V USB charge port is compatible with the requirements of the USB Battery Charging Specification
1.2. This supports different charge current limits for a wide variety of devices including most popular cell
phones and tablets. The maximum charge current is set by the device connected to the USB charger port.
This requires a standard 4 conductor USB cable. Note that if you do not use the standard cable the
charger will default to a maximum charge current of 500mA (900 mA USB3.0).
The maximum output is current limited by specification to 1.5A.
Fault reporting
The POWER LED serves dual functions. When the unit is working normally the LED is green indicating
normal operation. A fault condition is indicated by the front panel POWER LED changing color to flashing
red. Examples of fault condition are over-voltage and under voltage battery voltage.
Operating Time
POWERmini USB keeps track of the amount of time that has passed from power up time and displays the
information on the System Report page.

OPERATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 10 350-00103-5
Default Settings
The following table shows the values that are set at the factory, but these can be changed to better suit
your needs if required.
PARAMETER
DEFAULT VALUE
Battery Type
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4 -14V)
Max Charge Voltage
14.4 V
Auto Off
Disabled
Audible alarm
Enabled
Low voltage limit
11.0 V
Low voltage reset
11.5 V
High voltage limit
15.5 V
High voltage reset
15 V
Restore Factory Defaults
Use the following procedure to reset the unit back to the default factory settings.
•Disconnect the POWERmini USB from the battery and solar input
•Press and hold the SEL button and connect the battery to the battery input port
•When the start-up screen has displayed, and you hear a brief beep, release the SEL button
•Reconnect the solar panel (if in use)
The default values will have been restored to the system. Before using the device please check that you
have settings that are suited to your system. It is particularly important to check that the correct battery
type has been selected.

REFERENCE
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 11 350-00103-5
TECHNICAL REFERENCE
Battery Types
For best results you should be sure to set the charge and cut-off parameters to suit the battery chemistry
that you are going to use. POWERmini allows you to save settings for the maximum and minimum battery
voltages separately for different types of batteries.
Different types of battery chemistry have different voltage vs capacity characteristics. The characteristic
Capacity (Ah) vs voltage curves of three popular battery types are shown in Figure 11 below.
Figure 11 Comparison of battery characteristics for different battery chemistry
The three types of batteries shown in the chart above are Lithium Iron Phosphate (4 cell), Lead Acid (6
cell) and Lithium Polymer (3 cell). Notice that the curves are similar in shape but have very different
values for the fully charged and depleted states.
•Lithium Iron Phosphate battery
The LiFePO4 battery a higher maximum voltage (100% charge level) and a relatively flat discharge
curve. These batteries can also provide very high output currents relative to their Ah rating.
•Lead Acid battery
The battery a lower maximum voltage, a steeper discharge curve and a lower cut-off voltage.
•The Lithium Polymer
This is popular in car jump start battery packs and cell phones because it has a higher per-cell
voltage. The 12V jump start version uses only 3 cells, resulting in a battery that has an even lower
maximum voltage and a lower cut-off voltage than Lead Acid batteries
Also, beware - the surprisingly low capacity of the battery shown in the orange curve above is
because the 7Ah manufacturers rating applies only to the battery USB charge port not the 12V
battery output.
Although some QRP radios work well with this battery type, the low nominal terminal voltage of this
battery is problematic for other radios, many of which require a battery voltage of over 12V to function
normally.
9
10
11
12
13
14
0 2 4 6 8
Battery Voltage (V)
Ah
Battery Comparison (Ah vs Battery Voltage)
Lithium Iron Phosphate
7.5Ah
Lead Acid 7Ah
Lithium Polymer (3 cell)
'7Ah'

REFERENCE
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 12 350-00103-5
Battery Health
A healthy battery has a low internal resistance. Internal resistance causes the battery terminal voltage to
fall as the load current increases. You can see this effect in real time by viewing voltage bar on the
POWERmini USB status screen (Figure 8). When you key up the transmitter, the increase in load current
(relative to receive current) will cause the battery voltage to fall. A small reduction in voltage is normal,
but if the voltage drop is excessive it is an indication that the battery is either under-sized, or, has high
internal resistance.
Another more dramatic problem that causes the battery voltage to fall dramatically on load results when
one (or more) of the battery cells is damaged. An unfortunate aspect of having a defective cell is that
during the charge cycle the remaining cells will become overcharged. For this reason, battery chargers
(including POWERmini) will not charge a 12V battery if the total battery voltage is below 10V.
If you have a battery that has an abnormally low terminal voltage, then you may be able to recover it by
using a very low charge current for a short period of time. This is known as trickle charging. If the terminal
voltage can be brought over the 10V limit then you can continue charging it normally.
Battery Settings
CAUTION: Always follow the battery manufacturers recommendations for maximum charge voltage. Note
that the default factory settings for maximum voltage are generic. You should consult the specific voltage
settings from the specific battery that you are using.
Setting the maximum charge setting too high may result in damage to the battery, while setting the
voltage too low will mean that the battery will not reach the 100% charge point.
Battery Management Systems (BMS)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some batteries are equipped with internal intelligent battery management systems
(BMS) which have a strict maximum voltage limit which should not be exceeded.
Batteries with BMS may disconnect power internally if the maximum voltage is exceeded shutting down
the complete power system.

SPECIFICATIONS
POWERmini USB User Guide 2.1.0A 13 350-00103-5
SPECIFICATIONS
Battery Type
LiFePO4, Lead Acid, Li Polymer, 3 cell LiFePO4
Maximum Battery Input Voltage1
24 V DC
Minimum Battery Input Voltage2
9 V DC
Maximum Solar Input Voltage
24 V DC
Minimum Solar Input Voltage
N/A
Maximum Load Current (total)3
35 A (continuous)
Maximum Solar Charge Current4
11 A
Number of 12V DC output ports
2
DC power connectors
Anderson Powerpole® 45A
USB charger output connector
USB type A connector
USB charger output voltage
5V
USB charge maximum output current
1.5A
Reverse Polarity Protection
Battery input
Over voltage disconnect range
14 –16 V (user adjustable)
Low voltage disconnect range
9.5 –13 V (user adjustable)
Maximum Charge Voltage
10-15 V (user adjustable)
Audible alarm
User settable enable, disable
Overall Size
4.5 (W) x 3.2 (D) x 1.3 (H) inches
115 (W) x 82 (D) x 33 (H) mm
Weight
6.2 oz (176g).
Operating Temperature Range
0 –40 degrees Celsius
1
The maximum battery input voltage is the maximum that the POWERmini will accept. The voltage will
not be applied to the radio unless it is below the High Voltage Limit set in the user settings.
2
To protect the battery, POWERmini is designed to shutdown with voltages below the minimum voltage.
3
POWERmini will automatically disconnect the outputs if the maximum load current is exceeded.
4
POWERmini will automatically disconnect the solar input if the maximum solar input current is
exceeded.