Datasheet

F.A.Q.s

Is a Lipo Battery required? Can I run the FONA off of a power supply or just the microUSB port?

The microUSB (on the shield, in CHARGE mode and powered via USB or DC power) is only used to charge the

battery. Without a battery installed it will flicker on and off so it cannot be used to power a FONA minus battery.

A 1200mAh+ sized Lithium ion/polymer battery is required, nothing else will be able to easily power the FONA and

provide the correct voltage range even during 2 Amp spikes.

I really want to run my FONA without a Lipoly battery!

You can't.

We keep getting people who ask "Hey I know its a requirement but I want to build a buck/boost/linear 3.8V

regulator and it wil be OK because I said so" and then they realize it doesn't work well

The FONA design depends on a Lipoly battery. The battery is not optional. The battery is essential to function. If

you do not want a Lipoly battery you will have to use a different cellular module design. All of our FONAs require,

depend and will not work without a Lipoly battery

You can keep the battery topped up with an external 5V power supply for long term usage but the battery is still

required even if plugged into USB

Ahh! My FONA was working fine then I sent it some command and its not working right anymore?

You can always factory reset the FONA by sending it the

ATZ

command. Say with fona.println("ATZ") or using a USB console cable to send commands. If you set an odd fixed

baud rate (e.g. you cannot even get an OK when you send AT), a USB serial console cable will be helpful it quickly

changing baud rates in your terminal software to get back to a working AT/OK setup!

I'm using FONA as a voice caller and the other person can't hear me!

Note that you do have to use a compatible headset. Not all CTIA headsets will work, the ones we have in the shop

are known to work and so do many other Android but iPhone headsets do not.

You can also use 'external' audio on the FONA (electret mic and speaker soldered to FONA) but you cannot mix

and match. Either you use headset or you use external audio. You cant use external mic and headset speaker.

You also have to tell the FONA which audio you are using, it does not autodetect. You can use our library and

fona.setAudio()

My FONA doesn't work with Arduino Due/ADK/101/Galileo/STM32....

Right now we only know that the FONA library and shields work with Arduino UNO. Any other platforms may require

porting work

Can I charge the battery and use FONA at the same time?

Yes! You can use the Lipoly as sort of a 'backup battery' - keep charging it via MicroUSB (on the shield, in CHARGE

mode and powered via USB or DC power) during use. If the MicroUSB loses power, the FONA will keep going.