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Boost converter

davenn

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what are you talking about ?
what sort of boost converter ?
 

Pavle

Sep 21, 2015
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I want to know do I have boost converter inside my android???
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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These are not the droids you are looking for.
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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seriously, "android" is software and it is senseless to ask if it has a boost converter.

As to whether the hardware that's running android has a boost converter, we'd have to know what the hardware is (and even then whether you'd be able to access it is another question).
 

Harald Kapp

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What are we supposed to make of these images?

Please answer Dave's questions in post #2.
 

Gryd3

Jun 25, 2014
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@Pavle . Let me be overly detailed considering what you have provided.

Android is software, just like Windows, Linux, or OSX.
Android runs on hardware that can vary quite significantly. (In this case, it's your S3 Neo)
It's safe to guess or assume that it has at least one voltage regulator (Buck and/or Boost) depending on the hardware.

I'll lead you through my thought process:
Does it have a battery? Yes.
Does it need to charge? Yes, then it probably has a buck converter or other voltage regulator for the charge circuit.
Does it need to output a higher voltage than the battery to anything? If the device has USB-OTG, then it needs to convert 3.7V to 5V... so it *must* have a boost converter in there somewhere.
What are the specs of this converter? No clue. This phone is custom tailored to a specific task for the least cost possible...
Can I use the boost converter for anything? Probably not. Boost converter relies on external components, and jurry rigging the phone's hardware to use it in place will probably break something.
I want to use the boost converter anyway. Fine. Look at the small part numbers on all of the chips on the board and google them. You may come across the chip responsible for the boost converter. The spec sheet you find in this step will tell you what it is capable of, and what parts are required to make it work hopefully.
But I can't find part number XXXX... Well... too bad, this phone has a lot of custom hardware in it. It's cheaper to custom make a chip and produce millions than it is to build a phone with a bunch more separate components. You won't find specs, and you will most likely never find a replacement chip unless you buy another S3 Neo.


Quick Summary:
It might, but it's not worth it to try to use, nor is it worth the time of anyone in a forum to try to find a schematic for a phone they will most likely never deal with again in their entire life.
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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What are you trying to do?
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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I want to win this evening's $1B powerball.
 

Gryd3

Jun 25, 2014
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I want to convert 3.8 volts to 5 volts.
I will try to clarify things here which will hopefully settle things.

You 'should not' make a boost converter for your phone.
Doing hardware modifications on a phone's circuit board is not an easy task. They are produced in bulk with proprietary ICs as well as shielding and possibly an additional layer on the board for protection. This additional layer can get in the way of third party repairs and modifications unless it's removed.
I should also mention that the scale of most of the components on the board are pretty tiny. Even if someone posts a schematic and a parts-list, chances are you will not have the experience or capability to carry out the build/modification for your phone due to the size of the components. If I'm wrong, here I am sorry, but unless you have soldering experience for surface mount components, you should avoid this.
Additionally, even if you were to tap into a 3.8V line on the circuit board somewhere to pull current from, you could very easily damage something in the process...

I think you should avoid modification to the phone at all costs, and would suggest simply buying a USB chargeable portable battery. These things commonly have a 3.7-3.8V to 5V boost converter that is used for charging cell phones and tablets on the go. You don't need to build or tinker with anything... it's done already for you.

If you really really want to do this, then be prepared to over discharge your phone's battery with your third party modification, or be prepared to throw away the phone when you damage a trace that you cant find a way to repair.


If this is for a bigger project, then please share details and we can find alternatives.
 
Last edited:

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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Thanks @Gryd3. I was in no fit state to post. You have posted pretty much exactly what I think I would have wanted to :D
 
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