Hi,
I'm digging through the docs/wiki/forum here trying to find out if/how I can power my Bela (OG, not Mini) with a LiPo battery. Ideally the battery should work with USB power, recharging itself when the Bela is connected to USB, taking over when Bela is disconnected.
This seems to be a popular link for "power BBB with lipo battery":
https://www.element14.com/community/community/designcenter/single-board-computers/next-gen_beaglebone/blog/2013/08/10/bbb--rechargeable-on-board-battery-system
However, the very first paragraph of that page says "things have changed, these instructions might not work any more." Then it links off to a revision list & an obscure discussion forum thread re: power management innards, both of which are way over a layman/musician's head. If I understand the overall gist, it seems that BBB battery-management was not quite fully baked when the board was first released, but maybe got better? I just have no idea what's necessary for my particular board. So I guess my first question is: are these instructions still legit? Or do I need to know my specific board revision and find specific instructions for that revision?
Those instructions also recommend some slightly hacky solder work: attaching a power connector with misaligned pins, and soldering 603 resistors on the bottom of the same through-holes where the power connector pins come through on the top. I can do that stuff, but it'd sure be nicer to use parts that are designed to fit, if they exist.
Basically I'm wondering: what are today's best recommendations to make my Bela (OG) USB-rechargeable? Is this exactly the same process as making any other BBB system USB-rechargeable? I know there are at least a few Bela-specific details WRG powering the onboard audio amps. Are there others I need to know about?
My apologies if there is already a wiki page on this topic that I just couldn't find. But if there isn't one yet, I'd like to add it.
Much thanks,
-mykle-