MAX17048 Battery Fuel Gauge
LiPo battery fuel gauge. Reports voltage, state of charge (%), and charge/discharge rate without a sense resistor.
Say it to PAL
“Tell me when the battery is getting low.”
The code PAL writes
p.onSensorChange('qwiic-max17048', 'soc', (soc) => {
if (soc < 20) p.notify('Low battery: ' + soc + '%');
if (soc < 5) p.notify('Critical battery! Shutting down soon.');
});
await p.waitUntilStopped();“How much battery is left?”
The code PAL writes
const v = await p.read('qwiic-max17048', 'voltage');
const soc = await p.read('qwiic-max17048', 'soc');
const rate = await p.read('qwiic-max17048', 'charge_rate');
p.log(`Battery: ${v.toFixed(2)}V, ${soc.toFixed(0)}%, ${rate > 0 ? 'charging' : 'discharging'} at ${Math.abs(rate).toFixed(1)}%/hr`);When to pick it
Use for monitoring LiPo/LiIon battery level in portable projects. Reports percentage without a sense resistor.
Good to know
- SOC accuracy depends on stable voltage readings. Large load spikes cause temporary SOC jumps.
- First reading after power-up may be inaccurate. Allow 1-2 minutes for the algorithm to settle.
About it
The MAX17048 is a compact LiPo battery fuel gauge IC that uses Maxim's ModelGauge algorithm to report accurate state-of-charge (SOC) without requiring a sense resistor. Measures battery voltage (2.5-5.0V), reports SOC as a percentage (0-100%), and calculates charge/discharge rate. No calibration needed — the algorithm adapts to the battery characteristics automatically. Ideal for portable IoT projects running on LiPo batteries.
Where to buy
Facts
Tested
It is in our catalog, but nobody has checked it on a real board. It may not work yet. Its driver is written, but it has not been tested on hardware yet.
Current
23 µA
The catalog lists a typical draw of 23 µA for the MAX17048, copied from the maker’s description and not measured by Palpable.
Board size
25.4 × 20.32 mm
The MAX17048 board measures 25.4 × 20.32 mm and stands 6.4 mm tall with its parts. It has 4 mounting holes. These dimensions are from the maker’s mechanical drawing.
Chip
MAX17048
Its battery fuel gauge is the Analog Devices (Maxim Integrated) MAX17048.
Free to reuse
Every fact here is open data under CC BY 4.0. Copy it into your own docs or code, and credit Palpable. Download it
This record was last changed on October 6, 2026.