💬 Button size radionode with sensors swarm extension

[alexsh1]

@Koresh My 2032 died in 2 days and I noticed that power consumption is 3.5mA. OK, maybe bad soldering - I desoldered Si1132, but the consumption is still 0.14mA while sleeping. For 2032 this is a huge consumption. Did you measure consumption at all? I am using CW radio

Si1132 must be consuming around < 500 nA standby current according to the datasheet. Not sure why consumption was increased with Si1132.

[Koresh]

@alexsh1 Do not forget put BH1750 into sleep mode. Unfortunatelly standart library do not put the sensor into this mode. I described it on the github page.

  /*  Please comment out private declaration in BH1750.h 
   *   Otherwise you can't call lightMeter.write8(BH1750_POWER_DOWN); and BH1750 will not sleep!
   *   
   *  //private:
   *   void write8(uint8_t data);
   */
   
  lightMeter.write8(BH1750_POWER_DOWN);

[alexsh1]

@Koresh I did it on the first day I got the sensor. The consumption above is with BH1750 in the sleeping mode as per your github

[yury]

@alexsh1 said in 💬 Button size radionode with sensors swarm extension:

it on the first day I got

Could you post the code you use? and links for the libs. we will check tomorrow consumption with your code . mysensors 2.0 or 2.2?

[alexsh1]

@yury It is the latest bh1750 lib -> https://github.com/claws/BH1750

I am using MySensors 2.2.0b

I am using a default code :
https://github.com/EasySensors/ButtonSizeNode/blob/master/ButtonSizeNode.ino

[alexsh1]

@yury One thing I did notice is this. To put BH1750 into a sleep mode (1uA consumption), it has to be called as follows:

void setup()  {
lightMeter.begin(BH1750_ONE_TIME_HIGH_RES_MODE);

}

After a one time measurement it goes to sleep automatically.
Please see -> https://github.com/claws/BH1750/blob/master/examples/BH1750advanced/BH1750advanced.ino

I have tried above, but still getting 0.14mA consumption in a sleep mode. Very odd!

[Koresh]

@alexsh1 Very strange. I can't see a method write8 in current lib version (https://github.com/claws/BH1750). So I can't understand how is it possible to compile default code with this string

lightMeter.write8(BH1750_POWER_DOWN);

I couldn't put this sensor into power down mode without this.

[Koresh]

@alexsh1 said in 💬 Button size radionode with sensors swarm extension:

...
After a one time measurement it goes to sleep automatically.
...
I have tried above, but still getting 0.14mA consumption in a sleep mode. Very odd!

I've read the claws library briefly again. I'm a litte doubt that this code:

_delay_ms(10);

is enough to ensure correctly timings and sensors work :)

[alexsh1]

@Koresh It does work, I have just test it, but there is a delay, i.e. the sensor is lagging one reading behind.

[alexsh1]

@Koresh said in 💬 Button size radionode with sensors swarm extension:

@alexsh1 Very strange. I can't see a method write8 in current lib version (https://github.com/claws/BH1750). So I can't understand how is it possible to compile default code with this string

lightMeter.write8(BH1750_POWER_DOWN);

I couldn't put this sensor into power down mode without this.

I tried it with the original (old) library -> https://github.com/mysensors/MySensorsArduinoExamples/tree/master/libraries/BH1750

I commended out "private" in bh1750.h
Consumption has not changed - 0.14mA

[alexsh1]

@Koresh One more observation. If I comment out:

//lightMeter.write8(BH1750_POWER_DOWN);

from the original sketch, the consumption goes up to 0.27mA.
So BH1750 is not a problem. Something else is eating up a few milliamps.

[yury]

@alexsh1 said in 💬 Button size radionode with sensors swarm extension:

Something else is eating up a few milliamps

yes seems your board has bad capacitors. After rechecking many boards we found one eating a lot - 0.4 mA. Replacing caps fixed issue.

can you check?

[alexsh1]

@yury There are two yellow caps in your photo. Do I have to change both of them? What's nominal please?

EDIT: both are 107J SMD Tantalum

[alexsh1]

@yury I was suspecting EEPROM (CS pin with pull-up resistor?) to be a culprit

[yury]

combined capacitance of booth should be 100 --200 microfarads . It is input capacitors.
please try replacing them

re:
I was suspecting EEPROM (CS pin with pull-up resistor?) to be a culprit

not pullups...

[yury]

0.4 ma here with the bad cap

[Koresh]

@alexsh1 you can solder one or two capacitors ~50-200uf. But you should remove both because we do not know which of them is bad. Do not forget about polarity ;) Dot-key on the board means positive, so tantalum has positive key, but electrolitic capacitors has negative key.

[alexsh1]

@Koresh thanks. It does not matter which caps, right?
I have a few 1206 100uF ceramic caps. They are not polarised and may be a good fit size wise

[alexsh1]

@yury what's your estimate of battery life based on a new consumption of about 25uA and the default sketch?

[yury]

@alexsh1 220 mAh(Duracell) / 0.025 (mA) = 8800 hrs = 366 days.