The TI-Innovator™ Hub is powered by the batteries in the TI CE graphing calculator or the TI-Nspire™ CX handheld. In certain activities with high-powered devices such as servo motors, you may need to use an auxiliary power source – either the TI Wall Adapter or External Battery.

The TI-Innovator™ Hub has a minimal impact on the battery of the TI CE graphing calculator or TI-Nspire™ CX graphing calculators.

When using the Input and Output ports:

Certain I/O Modules require external power, as they use the 5V (OUT3 or IN3) ports on the TI-Innovator™ Hub. See the I/O Module section for details.

When using the Breadboard connector:

A circuit that is powered from the 5V output of the breadboard connector will require external power.

You can use the TI Wall Adapter or the External Battery for additional power. The TI Wall Adapter comes with the TI-Innovator™ Hub and is the same wall charger that is provided with the TI CE graphing calculator and TI-Nspire™ CX calculators. The External Battery is sold separately as an accessory for the TI-Innovator™ Hub.

You should only use the battery and power supply provided by TI to ensure safe operation.

The External Battery provides additional power for those components that require more power than can be provided via the TI graphing calculator. This battery (Model # MP-3000) was selected to meet TI-Innovator™ component power needs.

Using the Standard-A to Micro-B USB cable provided with the TI-Innovator™ Hub, the external battery should be connected to the PWR USB port on the TI-Innovator™ Hub. The external battery has an On/Off switch that must be turned on to provide power the TI-Innovator™ Hub.

The battery life will depend on the components attached to the TI-Innovator™ Hub. For example, the Servo Motor Module that is used with the Science through Engineering Design activities can run for 8 hours of continuous use using the external battery. Other components could last longer or drain the battery more rapidly.

As lithium-ion batteries age, they lose capacity. When properly maintained and under normal usage, batteries are expected to last about three years.

The External Battery can be recharged using the TI Wall Adapter (included with the TI-Innovator™ Hub) or the USB cable that came with the TI-Innovator Hub plugged into a computer USB port.

When you turn the external battery on, the LED battery indicators on the External Battery will display the approximate battery charge (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). The LEDs turn themselves off after 10 seconds.

The External Battery was specifically tested for use with the TI-Innovator™ Hub.

The battery will last 8 hours of continuous driving. Typical use is expected to include frequent breaks for programming. In that scenario, a full charge will last several days of uses.

As lithium-ion batteries age, they lose capacity. When properly maintained and under normal usage, batteries are expected to last about 3 years.

Connect a micro-USB cable to the PWR port on the right front side of the Rover. The other end of the cable can be connected to a PC or a TI wall charger.

The four battery level LEDs shows the battery capacity. When all four LEDs are solid green, the Rover battery is fully charged.