Hi guys
I have gone down the TL-WR902AC path on my system and been very happy with the results.
I now have a:
- TL-WR902AC V4 (so no bob smith terminal to worry about)
- Battery powered with an external power bank
I had bought a Ian Canada LifePO4 mini 3.3V kit and had attempted to DIY the enhancement to the TL-WR902AC but my first attempt was a failure and I am back to running my TL-WR902AC off the battery pack.
I have a few questions I would love some advice on if you can help me please in the following areas:
Soldering:
- I seem to suck at soldering this thing (I am a complete beginner so it is not surprising) but if someone could point me towards a good instructional video for this type of connection and/or some photos of their finished product it would be great to know what good looks like. It’s super tight to solder the wires to the
- Which gauge of wire should I be using? Does the stripped wire go directly through the Gnd and the 3.3V “holes” in the GPIO interface on the circuit board or are you using a crimped connector?
- Can you give advice on which dc plugs you used to fit the USB port on the TL-WR902AC so neatly?
- Is there anything else that I need to buy to do this?
Housing
- Does anyone have any solutions for anything more “finished” for the LifePO4 device?
Switch
- I presume that in day to day use you switch the mains power supply to the battery bank “off” when listening to the system (powering the TL-WR902AC via batteries) and then you switch the lifePO4 mini “on” to recharge the batteries from the grid? I find the switch on the underside of the circuit board very difficult to operate. It’s very small. I find it impossible to operate even with my fingernail and have to find a safety pin or something similar to operate it. Am I doing it wrong? What is everyone else’s solution to this problem?
If you can help point me in the right direction with the soldering I’ll give it one more try.
However, if its not successful it seems like a better option than the battery bank might be to buy a product like this:
https://www.beatechnik.com/product-page/lhy-batt-v1-2
I would sacrifice the sound quality benefit from direct 3.3V power supply but would have a more “finished” product that would have a bit better user experience than the existing battery pack. Would this perform as well as a battery pack solution? Are there other superior power supply options to consider?
One last question – should I be considering cable quality or ferrites when it comes to the USB cable that runs from the battery pack to the WR902AC?
Thanks for your patience if you are still reading till now and thanks in advance for any advice you can share.
Leon