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Battery support

Tachyon was designed with portable, off-grid applications in mind — and that means robust, smart battery support.

At the core of Tachyon’s power system is a dedicated power management IC (PMIC) designed for modern mobile platforms. It handles charging, input source negotiation, battery protection, and system power regulation — all in one highly integrated package. This enables fast charging, seamless switching between USB and battery power, and intelligent safety features without external components.

🔋 Supported Battery Options​

Tachyon is designed to work with standard single-cell lithium-ion (Li-Ion) and lithium-polymer (Li-Po) battery chemistries, offering a wide range of voltage and current control for safe and efficient charging.

The onboard power management system supports:

  • Trickle charge for deeply discharged cells
  • Programmable precharge and fast charge currents (up to 3 A with parallel charging)
  • Adjustable float voltages from 3.6 V to 4.79 V to accommodate high-voltage Li-ion variants
  • JEITA-compliant temperature-based charging for improved battery health and safety

By default, Tachyon is calibrated for Particle-provided batteries, which have been tested and profiled for accurate fuel gauging and protection. These include:

  • A custom 1S (3.7V nominal) Li-ion pack provided to Kickstarter backers
  • A higher-capacity 3P (3-cell parallel) pack included with the M1 enclosure kit

Each battery pack uses a 3-pin connector with:

  • Power - Positive (Red) Ground (Black)
  • A dedicated 10kΩ NTC thermistor line for temperature monitoring (Yellow)
Warning

While Tachyon can technically support other batteries that meet these electrical specs, the system expects batteries to follow the Particle configuration for proper operation. If you plan to use a custom battery, please contact Particle support before making any changes, as incorrect settings can lead to inaccurate reporting, failed charging, or safety issues.

Single-Cell (1S) Li-ion Battery​

1S Tachyon battery

Kickstarter backers receive a custom 1S lithium-ion battery built specifically for Tachyon. This pack uses a 3-pin connector:

  • + and – terminals for power
  • T for temperature sensing using an integrated 10kΩ NTC thermistor

Tachyon’s PMIC monitors this thermistor in real time and dynamically adjusts the charging profile to keep the battery safe — including full JEITA compliance for charging at extreme temps. Even a deeply discharged battery is safely revived using a trickle charge mode.

Three-cell Battery Pack (3P)​

3P Tachyon battery

The M1 enclosure kit includes a 3-cell parallel (3P) battery pack for extended runtime and higher capacity applications. It uses the same 3-pin connector and thermistor setup, ensuring consistent thermal monitoring and protection.

Tachyon’s smart PMIC supports differential battery sensing for accurate voltage readings and can enter supplemental mode — drawing from the battery to boost system power when needed. It also manages both USB and DC input sources with fast handoff, overvoltage protection, and programmable current limits.

Whether you're running on a slim 1S cell or a rugged 3S pack, Tachyon's battery system is designed for safety, efficiency, and performance.

Software Support​

🔋 Checking Battery Info on Tachyon​

Tachyon exposes basic battery status through the Linux filesystem at:

/sys/class/power_supply/battery/

You can use simple cat commands to read current battery values directly from the system:

🔌 Battery Status​

cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/status

Shows whether the battery is currently:

  • Charging
  • Discharging
  • Not charging
  • Full
info

Quick tip: Besides checking battery status with terminal commands, you can also use the Activity LED near the USB ports as a visual indicator of battery behavior.

Activity LED PatternWhat It Means
Mostly off, with brief blinksLinux is running normally. Battery is not charging.
Mostly on, with brief blinksLinux is running normally. Battery is charging.

This LED reflects both system activity and charging state — a handy reference when you're not connected over serial or SSH.

🔋 Battery Capacity (%)​

cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/capacity

Displays the battery's charge level as a percentage from 0 to 100%.

🌡️ Battery Temperature​

cat /sys/class/power_supply/battery/temp

Reports battery temperature in tenths of a degree Celsius.
For example, 230 means 23.0 °C.

These values are updated in real time and can be polled or integrated into your application or monitoring script for low-battery warnings, thermal alerts, or UI display.