[Gumstix-users] Battery Power...

[Pete M. <pet...@al...>]

Does anyone have any experience powering the Gumstix with Li-Ion or
Li-Polymer battery packs?  Common voltages for such packs seem to be
3.7v or 7.4v. (www.batteryspace.com) The Gumstix power FAQ says the
input voltage is needs to be between 3.5v and 6v.  Given that, there
are basically two options as I understand it.

1. Use a 3.7v pack

2. Use a 7.4v pack with a switching voltage converter to output 5v
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/DE-SW050.htm

Does anyone have any experience on which one of these is a better Idea?

The concern I have with option 1 is that it seems very close to the
minimum which the wiki also states could be unreliable.  On the other
hand I've read that switching voltage regulators have the draw back of
adding noise to the power (will this be a problem for the gumstix?)
and some data sheets mention that you need to mount them at a distance
from any RF components (is true with all voltage regulators or do just
some that have this problem?) which could be a problem since I need to
use wireless.

Thoughts?  Is there a better third option?

Thanks,
-Pete