Using Power Profiler Kit to measure current consumption AND charging of LiPo battery powered device

[rodims]

To measure the current consumption of our external battery powered device I plan to do the following
(as described in chapter 6.6. of the PPK User Guide v2.2, Figure 14) : 

a) Disconnect the LipO battery from our device and attach it as external power supply to the PPK

b) Connect our device to the external DUT connector (P16) of the PPK 

This should allow power measurements for the normal mode (discharging the battery)

However our device may charge its battery, when it is attached to a separate 5V (USB) connection. 
If possible I would even like to measure both discharging and the "reverse" charging current (but it may be up to 200 mA (for a short time). 

1) Is it possible to measure not only discharge current, but also charging current with the PPK (with this setup or another setup) ? 
2) If it cannot be measured, does the PPK allow the charging (will the current flow) ? 
3) Or in the worst case, would it damage the PPK ? Does it make a difference if discharging current is e.g. limited to - 70 mA ? 

My goals are 
a) to measure discharging AND charging current
b) even if that is not possible, not having to change the measurement setup (cabling) for intermediate charging

[Amanda Hsieh]

Hi, 

Sorry for the late.

Because the maximum DUT admissible current is 70 mA, I am afraid it cannot support your requirement. 

-Amanda H.

[rodims]

OK, but if I ensure that +/- 70 mA is not exceeded,- could you comment on my other questions ? 

[Amanda Hsieh]

Hi, 

1) Is it possible to measure not only discharge current, but also charging current with the PPK (with this setup or another setup) ? 

No, because the PPK measures the current on external DUTs. 

2) If it cannot be measured, does the PPK allow the charging (will the current flow) ? 

I am afraid not because that was not in the design purpose or usage. The power only supplies to DK or external board.  

3) Or in the worst case, would it damage the PPK ? Does it make a difference if discharging current is e.g. limited to - 70 mA ? 

Please see the Power Profiler Kit/introduction:  

"The PPK measures power consumption for a connected nRF5 Development Kit or any external board. It
measures current from 1 μA up to 70 mA and gives a detailed picture of the current profile for the user
application."

-Amanda