My charge and play switch setup - will this work?

[lucidPerspective]

Okay. so I'm trying to get my head around a switch setup that will allow me to charge on one side, and on the other-side send power to my regulators.

I have two 12v batteries that I'm regulating down to 7.4v and 3.3v. The diagrams I drew up show the setup for one of the 12v batteries, so it will all be repeated on the other-side too. you can see in Diagram 2 where the other battery meets up with the regulator PCB.

The switch I'll be using will connect ~left and middle~ - ~middle and middle~ - ~right and middle~ .. so when the switch is centered no power goes anywhere, when the switch is to the left it awaits you putting the cable into the charge jack, and when the switch is to the right it sends the power to the regulator PCB.

Both the Left and Right pins on the switch are hooked up to the positive on the battery, and the negative is connected to the middle pin.

Here's the diagrams, let me know what you think about it, and if it'll do what I'm hoping it will.

If it works, everyone's free to use it! give some thanks so I know I'm appreciated took me a good couple of hours to get this thought out and drawn.. I hope it works!!

Oh, one other thing I'm hoping this setup will achieve.. is if your batteries start getting low, you can just switch one side over to the charging plug and charge that side, while the system just runs off the other battery!

Click on the thumbnails to view bigger size:

[blaze3927]

<<edit nevermind, ill double check in the morning>>

[lucidPerspective]

Naww.. no-one's interested in my idea?

I think it's a pretty good one, would allow constant playing from batteries forever

[evilteddy]

Most people doing something with two batteries (if they weren't going to be connected in parrallel) would make it so the same charging jack works for both of them, the same regulator works for both and with a minimum of wiring and switches.

I can't see diagram 2 but I can see enough to know your system, to be completely honest, won't work. The resistor and LED would make the whole circuit not able to carry enough current (remember V=IR) as well as giving a voltage drop, Unless you are using a second charging jack in diagram 2 (undesirable) then charging wouldn't work for battery 2, even then it wouldn't automatically use the other battery for powering the N64 or even use the power supply for providing the 12V power. Take a look at how other people have accomplished this. If I have the time I'll make up a diagram of a good circuit for this.

[lucidPerspective]

The led+resistor doesn't have to be there, that was just going to be to show that the switch was on charge..but it's not necessary. looking back I relise that would ruin it all lol..would need to be wired differently. and the two regulators ARE used by both the batteries. the only thing doubled up is the circuit to the charging jack.

The whole point of my idea was keeping the charging of the batteries separate, when both switches are to the right then they are connected to my regulators in parallel. having them charge separately on a different circuit was to allow me to pull one battery away from the regulators and charge it, while the other battery keeps giving the same voltage to the regulators.

I think saying "it won't work" is a bit too extreme. there is absolutely no reason for it not to work (apart from the resistor led bit), its more that you personally wouldn't do it this way because you can't see the benefit of doing it this way. and I guess your right lol I could keep it simpler and just always have both batteries connected in parallel to my regulators. it would still all last the same amount of time playing.

I only conceived this method incase your batteries were getting low and you couldn't save, so as a last resort you could pull one battery out of the loop and charge it for like 10 minutes, which would give you enough time to save.

[evilteddy]

Right, then just put each battery on a DPDT switch between the single charging jack and regulators and using two switches (which is the same amount as your setup, I think) you can control each batteries operation. From one charging, one playing to both charging or playing at the same time. Remember that you should try and keep your cells balanced. That is, it is a bad idea to put two batteries of different charge in parrallel.

[lucidPerspective]

The DPDT thing is a good idea.. I forgot that I would be able to have them connected to the charge jack in Parallel too

when you say keeping them balanced.. would it really matter? because the regulators can take whatever voltage the batteries could possibly be putting out, and both the batteries have protection circuits.