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Power Management for Glyph 2040

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Battery + USB Power

We wanted to make our Glyph boards easy to power both when connected to a computer as well as via battery for portability! There’s two ways to power a Glyph:
  1. USB Power: You can connect with a USB cable (just plug into the TYPE C Port) and the Glyph will regulate the 5V USB down to 3.3V and power the entire board and peripherals (if any connected).
  2. Battery Power: You can also connect a 4.2/3.7V Lithium Polymer (LiPo/lipo) or Lithium Ion (LiIon) battery to Battery Pads. This will let the Glyph run on a rechargeable battery.
When the USB power is powered, it will automatically switch over to USB for power, as well as start charging the battery (if attached). This happens ‘hot-swap’ style so you can always keep the lipo connected as a ‘backup’ power that will only get used when USB power is lost. Additionally, the Glyph 2040 features an onboard Power Slide Switch (ON) that lets you disconnect the battery line to turn off the board completely when operating on battery power, without unplugging the battery.
Install the LiPo / Li-ion batteries based on the polarity. Using wrong polarity batteries can destroy your Glyph.

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Power Supplies

The Glyph 2040 offers multiple power supply options:
  • BAT Pin: Connected to the battery pads (behind the board)
  • USB Pin: Provides +5V from USB if connected.
  • 3.3V / 3V3 Pin: Provides output from the 3.3V regulator with an 900mA peak output.

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Measuring Battery Voltage

To monitor battery voltage, short the MSR pads behind the board.

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Alternative Power Options

For powering the Glyph 2040:
  • USB powered: Use a 5V 1A USB wall adapter to plug in a USB cable for reliable power.
  • Portable Use Without LiPo: Use a USB battery pack (Power Bank).
  • Higher Voltage Power Supply: Use a 5V buck converter and wire it to a USB cable’s 5V and GND input.
What You Cannot Do
  • Do not use alkaline or NiMH batteries and connect to the battery port, as it will destroy the LiPo charger.
  • Do not use anything >4.2v LiPo batteries on the battery port, as it will destroy the board.

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External Power Supplies

The Glyph 2040 is not designed for external power supplies. If you must:
  • Connect an external 3.3V power supply to the 3.3V and GND pins
  • Connect an external 5V power supply to the USB and GND pins.