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ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2004-01-29 21:23 in General Discussion
Hi,

I routinely have my Stamps automate things for me and have included
battery monitors with low battery warnings to indicate to me time to
charge.

I'm wondering if there is a device I can use which will allow the
Stamp to shut off power to itself when it's batteries get low so they
don't overdischarge. I'm thinking gate turn off thyristor or
something along those lines. Any ideas?

-Nickel

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-01-11 04:35
    Nickel,

    What about a latching relay?

    Jonathan

    www.madlabs.info


    Original Message
    From: "nickel152" <nickel152@y...>
    To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2004 8:11 PM
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Auto "turn off" devices


    > Hi,
    >
    > I routinely have my Stamps automate things for me and have included
    > battery monitors with low battery warnings to indicate to me time to
    > charge.
    >
    > I'm wondering if there is a device I can use which will allow the
    > Stamp to shut off power to itself when it's batteries get low so they
    > don't overdischarge. I'm thinking gate turn off thyristor or
    > something along those lines. Any ideas?
    >
    > -Nickel
    >
    >
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  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-01-11 04:47
    From: "nickel152" <nickel152@y...>

    >
    > I'm wondering if there is a device I can use which will allow the
    > Stamp to shut off power to itself when it's batteries get low so they
    > don't overdischarge.

    I'm using an Omron G6EK latching relay, but that was to give me enough carry
    amperage to power the whole robot. If you're just powering the Stamp itself,
    a reed relay will do the trick. Al Williams posted a Circuit of the Month
    awhile back that had just that purpose in mind. Basically, you bypass the
    relay with a normally-open momentary switch. When power is off, pressing
    this switch boots the stamp. The first few instructions must activate the
    relay while the momentary switch is still depressed. There's ample time of
    course. But once the switch is released, the relay is what powers the Stamp,
    and the Stamp has control of that relay, so it can shut itself down.

    Gary
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-01-11 05:55
    >Hi,
    >
    >I routinely have my Stamps automate things for me and have included
    >battery monitors with low battery warnings to indicate to me time to
    >charge.
    >
    >I'm wondering if there is a device I can use which will allow the
    >Stamp to shut off power to itself when it's batteries get low so they
    >don't overdischarge. I'm thinking gate turn off thyristor or
    >something along those lines. Any ideas?
    >
    >-Nickel

    Is SLEEP a possibility?
    DO WHILE batteryLow
    SLEEP 64800 ' sleep 18 hours
    LOOP

    reduces battery drain to ~50 microamps (given that i/o is shut down properly).


    A zero power solution would use an external switch, something like this:

    LP0701 p-mosfet
    S D
    +5 -o
    ;-; ;
    o
    Vdd
    | ======== |
    | |G `--/\/\--com
    | | 3.3k
    | |
    | | 330 330
    ` --/\/\--o--/\/\--o--/\/\---P0
    10k |
    > N.O. button
    |
    `
    com

    Pressing the pushbutton brings the gate of the mosfet to ground,
    turns on the mosfet, and applies 5 volts to Vdd. The Stamp starts
    up, and the program brings P0 low to hold the mosfet on after the
    pushbutton is released. When the Stamp wants to turn itself off, it
    drives P0 high, which turns off the mosfet and releases the power on
    Vdd. The 3.3k pulldown resistor defeats leakage currents. There
    can't be any parasitic power coming in thru other Stamp i/o pins.
    The LP0701 is a low resistance, low threshold, p-channel mosfet. A
    similar scheme could turn off the power at the Vin pin, but that
    would require an additional transistor.

    -- regards,
    Tracy Allen
    electronically monitored ecosystems
    mailto:tracy@e...
    http://www.emesystems.com
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-01-11 22:51
    Hi Tracy,

    I do need the zero power solution. I've currently implemented a relay
    with a bypass button to power up the Stamp as others have suggested.
    Works well. I also have a Power MOSFET I'm going to try later since I
    really don't like using relays if I don't have to because of the
    reliability issues. Thanks.

    -Dave

    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Tracy Allen <tracy@e...> wrote:
    > >Hi,
    > >
    > >I routinely have my Stamps automate things for me and have included
    > >battery monitors with low battery warnings to indicate to me time
    to
    > >charge.
    > >
    > >I'm wondering if there is a device I can use which will allow the
    > >Stamp to shut off power to itself when it's batteries get low so
    they
    > >don't overdischarge. I'm thinking gate turn off thyristor or
    > >something along those lines. Any ideas?
    > >
    > >-Nickel
    >
    > Is SLEEP a possibility?
    > DO WHILE batteryLow
    > SLEEP 64800 ' sleep 18 hours
    > LOOP
    >
    > reduces battery drain to ~50 microamps (given that i/o is shut down
    properly).
    >
    >
    > A zero power solution would use an external switch, something like
    this:
    >
    > LP0701 p-mosfet
    > S D
    > +5 -o
    ;-; ;
    o
    Vdd
    > | ======== |
    > | |G `--/\/\--com
    > | | 3.3k
    > | |
    > | | 330 330
    > ` --/\/\--o--/\/\--o--/\/\---P0
    > 10k |
    > > N.O. button
    > |
    > `
    com
    >
    > Pressing the pushbutton brings the gate of the mosfet to ground,
    > turns on the mosfet, and applies 5 volts to Vdd. The Stamp starts
    > up, and the program brings P0 low to hold the mosfet on after the
    > pushbutton is released. When the Stamp wants to turn itself off,
    it
    > drives P0 high, which turns off the mosfet and releases the power
    on
    > Vdd. The 3.3k pulldown resistor defeats leakage currents. There
    > can't be any parasitic power coming in thru other Stamp i/o pins.
    > The LP0701 is a low resistance, low threshold, p-channel mosfet.
    A
    > similar scheme could turn off the power at the Vin pin, but that
    > would require an additional transistor.
    >
    > -- regards,
    > Tracy Allen
    > electronically monitored ecosystems
    > mailto:tracy@e...
    > http://www.emesystems.com
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-01-29 21:23
    At 04:11 AM 1/11/04 +0000, you wrote:
    >Hi,
    >
    >I routinely have my Stamps automate things for me and have included
    >battery monitors with low battery warnings to indicate to me time to
    >charge.
    >
    >I'm wondering if there is a device I can use which will allow the
    >Stamp to shut off power to itself when it's batteries get low so they
    >don't overdischarge. I'm thinking gate turn off thyristor or
    >something along those lines. Any ideas?
    >
    >-Nickel


    Nickel,
    Here is a circuit that I have used for externally switched events
    which draws less than 3 nano Amps in standby.

    http://www.angelfire.com/wizard/y2kbc/STAMPS/lps.gif
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