Using 2 framework batteries at once. Is it Possible?

Creators & Developers
#1

I am in the middle of a DIY project with the framework mainboard and was wondering if it would be possible to use two of the framework batteries at once to essentially double the capacity of the battery. Im aware by default it would not support this but was wondering if anyone knew specifically how i would go about doing this if it was possible?

#2

That seems a little odd, except you will have a spare battery.

  • First thought is you will need a charger, you couldn’t really expect to have it charged at the same time as the included one

  • As it has be external, you are not going to fit another inside :slight_smile: and I doubt you want to have wires hanging out; so it will be connected by a USB C port much as the power supply would be.

  • In which case why not just by a standard Power Brick that can easily be charged via the same cable that powers the laptop.

Am I missing something ???

#3

Yeah so it will be internal, and im not against using breakout boards. This is just the mainboard im using and the two batteries. The rest of the DIY project wont be using any other framework parts, ie a custom chassis.

#4

If it were a regular old “dumb” battery sure, just connect them in parallel to double the capacity but not affect the voltage.

But - this is not a dumb battery. It has charging controllers, protection controllers and management controllers. The fact that there isn’t just a “+” and a “-” lead out that you could just tie together and apply to the motherboard is a good indication. It will require some reverse engineering or documentation to overcome/bypass these controllers and if that’s not done properly, the results could be catastrophic - overcharging to the point of destruction, full short-circuit, etc. There’s a lot of power in these batteries, they must be handled carefully especially if you are going to bypass protection or charging circuitry.

Unless you already have two batteries on hand, it would be better to get a single large battery or power bank. At least those are properly protected with the controllers sized for the battery.

Maybe I’m wrong and maybe someone else with more technical knowledge of batteries could come in and say it’s fine, go ahead, but please be cautious.

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