SARA-G3 and SARA-U2 series - System Integration Manual 
UBX-13000995 - R26    Design-in 
    Page 108 of 217 
2.2.1.8  Guidelines for external battery charging circuit 
Application devices that are powered by a Li-Ion (or Li-Polymer) battery pack should implement a suitable battery 
charger design as SARA-G3 and SARA-U2 series modules do not have an on-board charging circuit. 
In the application circuit example described in Figure 48, a rechargeable Li-Ion (or Li-Polymer) battery pack, that 
features proper pulse and DC discharge current capabilities and proper DC series resistance, is directly connected 
to  the  VCC  supply input of  the  module.  Battery charging is  fully  managed  by  the  STMicroelectronics L6924U 
Battery Charger IC that, from a USB source (5.0 V typ.), charges as a linear charger the battery, in three phases: 
  Pre-charge constant current (active when the battery is deeply discharged): the battery is charged with a 
low current, set to 10% of the fast-charge current 
  Fast-charge constant current: the battery is charged with the maximum current, configured by the value 
of an external resistor to a value suitable for USB power source (~500 mA) 
  Constant  voltage:  when  the  battery  voltage  reaches  the  regulated  output  voltage  (4.2  V),  the  L6924U 
starts  to  reduce  the  current  until  the  charge  termination  is  done.  The  charging  process  ends  when  the 
charging current reaches the value configured by an external resistor to ~15 mA or when the charging timer 
reaches the value configured by an external capacitor to ~9800 s 
Using a battery pack with an internal NTC resistor, the L6924U can monitor the battery temperature to protect 
the battery from operating under unsafe thermal conditions. 
The L6924U, as linear charger, is more suitable for applications where the charging source has a relatively low 
nominal voltage (~5 V), so that a switching charger is suggested for applications where the charging source has 
a relatively high nominal voltage (e.g. ~12 V, refer to the following section 2.2.1.9 for specific design-in), even if 
the L6924U can also charge from an AC wall adapter as its input voltage range is tolerant up to 12 V: when a 
current-limited adapter is used, it can operate in quasi-pulse mode, reducing power dissipation. 
C5 C8
GND
C7C6 C9
SARA-G3 / SARA-U2
52
VCC
53
VCC
51
VCC
+
USB 
Supply
C3
R4
θ
U1
IUSB
IAC
IEND
TPRG
SD
VIN
VINSNS
MODE
ISEL
C2C1
5V
TH
GND
VOUT
VOSNS
VREF
R1
R2
R3
Li-Ion/Li-Pol 
Battery Pack
D1
B1
C4
Li-Ion/Li-Polymer  
Battery Charger IC
D2
Ferrite Bead 
or 0Ω
 
Figure 48: Li-Ion (or Li-Polymer) battery charging application circuit 
Part Number - Manufacturer 
Li-Ion (or Li-Polymer) battery pack with 470  NTC 
1 µF Capacitor Ceramic X7R 0603 10% 16 V 
GRM188R71C105KA12 - Murata 
10 nF Capacitor Ceramic X7R 0402 10% 16 V 
GRM155R71C103KA01 - Murata 
1 nF Capacitor Ceramic X7R 0402 10% 50 V 
GRM155R71H102KA01 - Murata 
330 µF Capacitor Tantalum D_SIZE 6.3 V 45 m 
T520D337M006ATE045 - KEMET 
100 nF Capacitor Ceramic X7R 0402 10% 16 V 
GRM155R61A104KA01 - Murata 
56 pF Capacitor Ceramic C0G 0402 5% 25 V 
GRM1555C1E560JA01 - Murata 
15 pF Capacitor Ceramic C0G 0402 5% 25 V  
GRM1555C1E150JA01 - Murata 
Low Capacitance ESD Protection 
24 k Resistor 0402 5% 0.1 W 
RC0402JR-0724KL - Yageo Phycomp 
3.3 k Resistor 0402 5% 0.1 W 
RC0402JR-073K3L - Yageo Phycomp 
1.0 k Resistor 0402 5% 0.1 W 
RC0402JR-071K0L - Yageo Phycomp 
Li-Ion (or Li-Polymer) Linear Battery Charger IC  
L6924U - STMicroelectronics 
Table 30: Suggested components for Li-Ion (or Li-Polymer) battery charging application circuit