Datasheet

Load Sharing

The MCP73871 chip in the usb/solar charger has a very nifty feature called 'load sharing.'

Say you have an every day lipoly charger and you want to use the battery while its

charging. To do this, you might connect the project directly to the battery output. This

means, however, that the charger is both charging a battery and driving your project at the

same time. The charger is working extra hard and the battery is being charged and

discharged constantly.

As an improvement, this design has a pass transistor inside the chip, connected to the