# Pico W + LiPo with Battery Level Monitoring

**URL:** <https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/pico-w-lipo-with-battery-level-monitoring/17561>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [13 July 2023 03:59 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/pico-w-lipo-with-battery-level-monitoring/17561 "2023-07-13T03:59:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Matt99968](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Matt99968](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Matt99968)\
**Post date:** [13 July 2023 03:59 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/pico-w-lipo-with-battery-level-monitoring/17561/1 "2023-07-13T03:59:58Z")

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Hi All,

I was excited to receive my first Pico W and two Piico Dev components (ultrasound + ambient light). The project is designed to monitor light + distance to send a triggers to home automation in the right conditions. Python’s a breeze so far and I’ve debugged a few niggles whilst powered via USB from my laptop.

I’m ready for a field test soon, so will give the battery a crack with the LiPo expansion board. Here’s the catch - I’ve little knowledge on how much power this will use, so I don’t know how long the battery will last.

I haven’t found a way to examine the state of charge, but I’m sure others have done this?

Cheers,  
Matt

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**Author:** ![Trent5487676](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/trent5487676/32/4583_2.png) [@Trent5487676](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Trent5487676)\
**Post date:** [13 July 2023 05:39 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/pico-w-lipo-with-battery-level-monitoring/17561/2 "2023-07-13T05:39:29Z")

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Hi Matt,

LiPo battery monitoring can be tricky as the voltage on the battery does not correspond linearly to what percentage of charge is left in the battery.

For a rough estimation a voltage divider circuit connected to an ADC can measure the voltage on the battery, this will give you a rough idea of if the battery needs to be charged, but won’t give you insight into how many hours of battery life is left.

If you want a battery capacity readout as a percentage a battery monitor / fuel gauge module placed between the battery and the PiicoDev adaptor will let you read the battery levels via I2C into your Pico.

We’ve got a selection of battery monitors that you can find at the link below.

> **[Battery Monitoring - Power & Batteries Australia](https://core-electronics.com.au/power-batteries/battery-monitoring.html?updated)**
>
> Core Electronics is a retailer for electronics in Australia including Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Sparkfun and Adafruit products. Fast shipping and support.