Electronic – arduino – Rechargable power for arduino

arduinobattery-chargingbattery-operated

What is the best way to provide rechargable power for an arduino based portable device? So far I've found the following options:

1: Use removable batteries and include an external charger with my device. Probably the cheapest option, but not very elegant and many users will probably find it annoying having to constantly take out the battiers to charge them.

2: Package this pack inside my device: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11358 . Not exactly cheap, maybe too big for me, and it would look wierd with a USB cable going out of my device and then back in. Likewise the user would have to disconnect this USB cable and then insert an external USB cable for charging. Not pretty.

3: Use a LiPo battery and put this charger inside my device: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10401 . However as I understand it this only charges LiPo batteries and can't be used to power an arduino. There is also this board https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10161 , but I'm not sure if I understand how to wire everything.

What I want is having my device function like a cellphone in terms of charging: it should run on an internal battery and for charging the user should simply have to connect a cable from a charger. My power needs aren't very high; just a small 3x3cm LCD, a bluetooth module, an arduino and some other minor stuff.

Is a "battery management IC" what I'm looking for? It is mentioned in this question: how to implement an integrated rechargable battery in my project? . What kind of wiring do I need to add this to my device?

Best Answer

Consider the Arduino FIO. It's got a built-in Li-Po charger and an xbee socket.