Supercapacitors are fascinating devices, able to charge and discharge many more times than a traditional battery, and at a much higher rate. Conversely, they’re much slower than traditional capacitors, meaning that they’re not appropriate for use in filtering applications—so definitely not saviors for the impending cap’ supply apocalypse.
This means that short-term energy storage is where they excel, leading to the question of how to charge them. If that’s been stumping you, then be sure to check out the Meerkat Supercapacitor Charger. This device is meant to feed electrolytic double-layer capacitors—ELDCs—of 10F or more, and can accommodate 2.5 and 2.7V styles.
The device uses adjustable maximum power point tracking, or MPPT, to optimize charging under input voltages from 4.5V to 16V. This makes it ideal for solar charging applications, or other scenarios where input voltage is variable or unknown. Reverse polarity protection on the input is included, and a trio of LEDs indicate whether the charger is connected to the power supply, and whether it’s charging or finished.
