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Battery driven outdoor thermometer — Parallax Forums

Battery driven outdoor thermometer

CrosswindsCrosswinds Posts: 182
edited 2013-11-14 13:54 in Propeller 1
Hello guys!


Im trying to make an wireless unit that will transmit a temperature value to a Indoor unit wirelessly with an xbee module.

I have it set up and running, but i can only get about 2 weeks out of the batteries.

Im not sure what im doing wrong, maybe i should use some other voltage regulator. (using the standard one that comes with the lab kit)

When i measure the consumption i get 0,002A at sleep mode, and 0,075 at transmission mode (about one second every minute)
Using 4 in series AA batteries.


I have included my code and also a Picture of the wiring, just for reference.
bild.JPG

main.spin
640 x 480 - 150K

Comments

  • Mark_TMark_T Posts: 1,981
    edited 2013-11-12 16:58
    Crosswinds wrote: »
    Hello guys!


    Im trying to make an wireless unit that will transmit a temperature value to a Indoor unit wirelessly with an xbee module.

    I have it set up and running, but i can only get about 2 weeks out of the batteries.

    Im not sure what im doing wrong, maybe i should use some other voltage regulator. (using the standard one that comes with the lab kit)

    When i measure the consumption i get 0,002A at sleep mode, and 0,075 at transmission mode (about one second every minute)
    Using 4 in series AA batteries.

    I'd definitely suspect the voltage regulator - but this you can easily test with a multimeter - connect input and output to their capacitors
    and apply power to the input measuring the current - this is the "quiescent current" of the device. The datasheet should also say
    if you know which device it is (including manufacturer).

    Cheap standard voltage regulators are not micropower, but there are micropower regulators (look for queiscent current
    draws nearer the 10uA mark). IIRC the Prop itself is something like 7uA using RCSLOW and no loads draining current.
    The XBee in sleep mode I don't know.
  • CrosswindsCrosswinds Posts: 182
    edited 2013-11-12 17:20
    Hello!

    Thanks for your answer!

    Do you have any tip on a regulator that could fit this?
  • JLockeJLocke Posts: 354
    edited 2013-11-13 00:44
    Check out my outdoor temperature 'sender'. I get about 70 days from 3 AA batteries. Thermo-Prop. It only takes a reading every 10 minutes, though. The Propeller runs in low-power mode with the XBee in 'sleep' most of the time.
  • Mark_TMark_T Posts: 1,981
    edited 2013-11-13 10:28
    Crosswinds wrote: »
    Hello!

    Thanks for your answer!

    Do you have any tip on a regulator that could fit this?

    I remember Jeelabs looked at this a while back, the JeeNode uses an MCP1702 (with 2uA quiescent according
    to datasheet).
  • CrosswindsCrosswinds Posts: 182
    edited 2013-11-14 13:54
    The MCP1702 seem great!

    Have it on order now, will arrive tomorrow!
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