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  3. 3V battery for door sensor node.

3V battery for door sensor node.

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  • scalzS scalz

    Hi,

    of course I agree with all comments above. imho 6months, even a year is too short for maintenance..

    Regarding frequency, in general, the radio modules run their own crystal so they can't be very impacted on their side by changing 1/8mhz (or maybe spi comm, but that's not the case here, this is usually working).

    But MySensors lib "could be". I'm not saying it will!
    As changing freq can also change some timeout, delays etc in the lib. So far there is no time slot syncing mechanism, which wouldn't help at all here..
    So that may depends on features needed (just thinking to delays in radio drivers for collisions, signing, heartbeat etc when it's about a main door node), and may or not add some nacks, then more transmit, more power etc..

    mfalkviddM Offline
    mfalkviddM Offline
    mfalkvidd
    Mod
    wrote on last edited by
    #13

    @scalz wouldn't we have problems already today if that was the case? MySensors is used on 8 and 16 MHz atmega328 (and 1MHz with sensebender micro) and on 80 and 160 MHz esp8266.

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    • gohanG Offline
      gohanG Offline
      gohan
      Mod
      wrote on last edited by
      #14

      If you have enough room, I'd go for a LiFePo4 battery and no need to change clock and fuses or use any buck booster

      1 Reply Last reply
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      • scalzS Offline
        scalzS Offline
        scalz
        Hardware Contributor
        wrote on last edited by scalz
        #15

        @mfalkvidd as long as there is no precise timing involved in lib, this should be ok. who can do more can do less. well this is always good to remember 1mhz mode is not as precise vs 8/16Mhz or faster espressif.

        There is another point I'm thinking, when it's about security nodes, lowpower (like a main door node for example). When using 328p deep sleep without time, you lose the watchdog feature. I think, in general, for a reliable security node, wdt may be a good idea to prevent any lockup (especially when using cheap, outofspecs ?? 328p clone??).

        Sure it's important to optimize runtime power consumption, but in case of a node which doesn't wake up often, the most important point to improve for lifetime is the sleep power consumption of the device.

        I agree with gohan for lifepo4, too bad there are not lot of variants yet.
        I think there are no definitive answer for lowpower node and batt lifetime. It depends on the device requirements, always compromise. As a primary lithium AA/AAA+booster will always last a lot longer than a coincell. But that needs nano quiescent current with high efficiency during lightload boosters that you won't find already assembled at aliexpress, +filtering (depends on the part but doesn't hurt)
        AA/AAA compromise is a bigger profile than coincell, or need more parts so more expensive for example. Here I guess, a lower profile is needed for a door node.

        Nca78N 1 Reply Last reply
        1
        • scalzS scalz

          @mfalkvidd as long as there is no precise timing involved in lib, this should be ok. who can do more can do less. well this is always good to remember 1mhz mode is not as precise vs 8/16Mhz or faster espressif.

          There is another point I'm thinking, when it's about security nodes, lowpower (like a main door node for example). When using 328p deep sleep without time, you lose the watchdog feature. I think, in general, for a reliable security node, wdt may be a good idea to prevent any lockup (especially when using cheap, outofspecs ?? 328p clone??).

          Sure it's important to optimize runtime power consumption, but in case of a node which doesn't wake up often, the most important point to improve for lifetime is the sleep power consumption of the device.

          I agree with gohan for lifepo4, too bad there are not lot of variants yet.
          I think there are no definitive answer for lowpower node and batt lifetime. It depends on the device requirements, always compromise. As a primary lithium AA/AAA+booster will always last a lot longer than a coincell. But that needs nano quiescent current with high efficiency during lightload boosters that you won't find already assembled at aliexpress, +filtering (depends on the part but doesn't hurt)
          AA/AAA compromise is a bigger profile than coincell, or need more parts so more expensive for example. Here I guess, a lower profile is needed for a door node.

          Nca78N Offline
          Nca78N Offline
          Nca78
          Hardware Contributor
          wrote on last edited by
          #16

          @scalz said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

          But that needs nano quiescent current with high efficiency during lightload boosters that you won't find already assembled at aliexpress, +filtering (depends on the part but doesn't hurt)

          Any good suggestion for that ? I'm making a breakout for TPS61098 to test, but if you have other suggestions of similar chips I'm interested :)

          scalzS 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • gohanG Offline
            gohanG Offline
            gohan
            Mod
            wrote on last edited by
            #17

            I still believe a 2€ LiFePO4 battery is the cheapest solution :D

            Nca78N 1 Reply Last reply
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            • gohanG gohan

              I still believe a 2€ LiFePO4 battery is the cheapest solution :D

              Nca78N Offline
              Nca78N Offline
              Nca78
              Hardware Contributor
              wrote on last edited by
              #18

              @gohan said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

              I still believe a 2€ LiFePO4 battery is the cheapest solution :D

              Where do you get it at this price ?

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              0
              • gohanG Offline
                gohanG Offline
                gohan
                Mod
                wrote on last edited by
                #19

                look for soshine AA batteries on aliexpress, I paid 8€ for 4 AA batteries plus 2 connectors

                Nca78N 1 Reply Last reply
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                • gohanG gohan

                  look for soshine AA batteries on aliexpress, I paid 8€ for 4 AA batteries plus 2 connectors

                  Nca78N Offline
                  Nca78N Offline
                  Nca78
                  Hardware Contributor
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #20

                  @gohan said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

                  look for soshine AA batteries on aliexpress, I paid 8€ for 4 AA batteries plus 2 connectors

                  Yes I have those, paid more as shipping was expensive. But they are too big :(

                  gohanG 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • Nca78N Nca78

                    @gohan said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

                    look for soshine AA batteries on aliexpress, I paid 8€ for 4 AA batteries plus 2 connectors

                    Yes I have those, paid more as shipping was expensive. But they are too big :(

                    gohanG Offline
                    gohanG Offline
                    gohan
                    Mod
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #21

                    @nca78 I think if you go for a slimnode solution (on openhardware) it is not very big

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                    • ahmedadelhosniA Offline
                      ahmedadelhosniA Offline
                      ahmedadelhosni
                      wrote on last edited by ahmedadelhosni
                      #22

                      Good topic. I have been lazy since a month to ask the same question regarding best batteries do people use for battery powered nodes ?

                      I have thought of using AAA batteries but I really do not know which categories do I go with. Lithuim or Alkaline ?

                      If you check this link https://d2ei442zrkqy2u.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/MN2400_US_CT1.pdf

                      You find that the Alkaline battery can operate till it reaches 1.0 v for more than 1200 service hours. So two in Series will give me 2v which are still above 1.9 for the atmega and nrf to run.

                      But also if you check lithuim batteries.
                      http://data.energizer.com/pdfs/l92.pdf

                      It also operates for 1200 service hours at 1.4v before the battery dies quickly.

                      My question. Why would I choose a more expensive option (which is Lithuim) although I can use the Alkaline which is much cheaper and may be half the price ? Will the performance is better with steady voltage using lithuim ?

                      Thanks.

                      mfalkviddM 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • ahmedadelhosniA ahmedadelhosni

                        Good topic. I have been lazy since a month to ask the same question regarding best batteries do people use for battery powered nodes ?

                        I have thought of using AAA batteries but I really do not know which categories do I go with. Lithuim or Alkaline ?

                        If you check this link https://d2ei442zrkqy2u.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/MN2400_US_CT1.pdf

                        You find that the Alkaline battery can operate till it reaches 1.0 v for more than 1200 service hours. So two in Series will give me 2v which are still above 1.9 for the atmega and nrf to run.

                        But also if you check lithuim batteries.
                        http://data.energizer.com/pdfs/l92.pdf

                        It also operates for 1200 service hours at 1.4v before the battery dies quickly.

                        My question. Why would I choose a more expensive option (which is Lithuim) although I can use the Alkaline which is much cheaper and may be half the price ? Will the performance is better with steady voltage using lithuim ?

                        Thanks.

                        mfalkviddM Offline
                        mfalkviddM Offline
                        mfalkvidd
                        Mod
                        wrote on last edited by mfalkvidd
                        #23

                        @ahmedadelhosni with most low-power nodes, we're talking >10,000 service hours. With those low drains, the self discharge of the battery becomes much more important than how much they can deliver at 1mA drain. Unfortunately, neither of the datasheets you link to contain self discharge. I don't know why they don't include it. The ENERGIZER L92 specified a shelf life of 20 years though.

                        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-discharge#Typical_self-discharge_by_battery_type lists typical self discharge for some battery types though. Lithium-metal is better than alkaline batteries, which is better than (rechargeable) Lithium-ion which is better than (rechargeable) NiMh.

                        In short, yes it is probably better to choose a Lithium battery because the alkaline battery will have self-discharged after ~5 years while the Lithium battery can go 10 (or more).

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        1
                        • Nca78N Offline
                          Nca78N Offline
                          Nca78
                          Hardware Contributor
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #24

                          In addition to what @mfalkvidd said, when you use nrf24, the lower the voltage the lower the emitting power, so the quality of your radio link can decrease and you can lose messages, meaning your sensor could appear unreliable or have to resend the message a lot a lot meaning shorter battery life.

                          But if you have a really low power node you will have a very long battery life (2-3+ years) with standard AAA so I would go for a good quality alcaline (not a cheap one to avoid leaks ruining your sensors). And if you see you have range problems when voltage goes lower then switch to lithium version.

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                          0
                          • Nca78N Nca78

                            @scalz said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

                            But that needs nano quiescent current with high efficiency during lightload boosters that you won't find already assembled at aliexpress, +filtering (depends on the part but doesn't hurt)

                            Any good suggestion for that ? I'm making a breakout for TPS61098 to test, but if you have other suggestions of similar chips I'm interested :)

                            scalzS Offline
                            scalzS Offline
                            scalz
                            Hardware Contributor
                            wrote on last edited by scalz
                            #25

                            @Nca78

                            Any good suggestion for that ? I'm making a breakout for TPS61098 to test, but if you have other suggestions of similar chips I'm interested :)

                            I was thinking to these boosters. They are nice, I used them in a old multisensors project I showed here.
                            Hmm.. it's not at all handsolderable, what happens ?! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
                            I'm kidding ;) I'm the same, I don't like to be limited by parts choice.

                            This booster is very small, but 6 pins only if i remember. better use good parts, good shielded inductor, good planes etc to reduce emi, improve efficiency etc.
                            I moved to different battery types because I wanted more discrete nodes, or simplicity, and between AA/AAA there is not a big profile difference. But I still have a recent design with this booster, for a usecase.

                            gohanG Nca78N 2 Replies Last reply
                            0
                            • scalzS scalz

                              @Nca78

                              Any good suggestion for that ? I'm making a breakout for TPS61098 to test, but if you have other suggestions of similar chips I'm interested :)

                              I was thinking to these boosters. They are nice, I used them in a old multisensors project I showed here.
                              Hmm.. it's not at all handsolderable, what happens ?! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
                              I'm kidding ;) I'm the same, I don't like to be limited by parts choice.

                              This booster is very small, but 6 pins only if i remember. better use good parts, good shielded inductor, good planes etc to reduce emi, improve efficiency etc.
                              I moved to different battery types because I wanted more discrete nodes, or simplicity, and between AA/AAA there is not a big profile difference. But I still have a recent design with this booster, for a usecase.

                              gohanG Offline
                              gohanG Offline
                              gohan
                              Mod
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #26

                              @scalz you forgot to add some links :D

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                              0
                              • scalzS Offline
                                scalzS Offline
                                scalz
                                Hardware Contributor
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #27

                                @gohan which links ?

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                                0
                                • gohanG Offline
                                  gohanG Offline
                                  gohan
                                  Mod
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #28

                                  @scalz said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

                                  TPS61098

                                  where you referring to this booster? I thought you were talking about another one you had

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                                  • scalzS Offline
                                    scalzS Offline
                                    scalz
                                    Hardware Contributor
                                    wrote on last edited by scalz
                                    #29

                                    @gohan
                                    yes these one; I have different variants but the family is TPS6109x.
                                    I made a multisensor two years ago with this booster (published a preview in the forum). works well, but finally I published an other multisensor, which was cheaper, on coincell. But still not enough cheap for people ;)
                                    Now I prefer to have just a few projects&revisions, than too much. to save time and support. So I carefully sort my stuff :)

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    1
                                    • scalzS scalz

                                      @Nca78

                                      Any good suggestion for that ? I'm making a breakout for TPS61098 to test, but if you have other suggestions of similar chips I'm interested :)

                                      I was thinking to these boosters. They are nice, I used them in a old multisensors project I showed here.
                                      Hmm.. it's not at all handsolderable, what happens ?! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
                                      I'm kidding ;) I'm the same, I don't like to be limited by parts choice.

                                      This booster is very small, but 6 pins only if i remember. better use good parts, good shielded inductor, good planes etc to reduce emi, improve efficiency etc.
                                      I moved to different battery types because I wanted more discrete nodes, or simplicity, and between AA/AAA there is not a big profile difference. But I still have a recent design with this booster, for a usecase.

                                      Nca78N Offline
                                      Nca78N Offline
                                      Nca78
                                      Hardware Contributor
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #30

                                      @scalz said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

                                      This booster is very small, but 6 pins only if i remember. better use good parts, good shielded inductor, good planes etc to reduce emi, improve efficiency etc.

                                      Yes I sticked to what is suggested in the datasheet and bought everything from arrow. But in the end it takes more space than expected so I'm not sure I'll make the board...

                                      scalzS 1 Reply Last reply
                                      1
                                      • Nca78N Nca78

                                        @scalz said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

                                        This booster is very small, but 6 pins only if i remember. better use good parts, good shielded inductor, good planes etc to reduce emi, improve efficiency etc.

                                        Yes I sticked to what is suggested in the datasheet and bought everything from arrow. But in the end it takes more space than expected so I'm not sure I'll make the board...

                                        scalzS Offline
                                        scalzS Offline
                                        scalz
                                        Hardware Contributor
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #31

                                        @nca78 said in 3V battery for door sensor node.:

                                        Yes I sticked to what is suggested in the datasheet and bought everything from arrow. But in the end it takes more space than expected so I'm not sure I'll make the board...

                                        yep it was another point i forgot to mention..

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                                        • skywatchS Offline
                                          skywatchS Offline
                                          skywatch
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #32

                                          Thanks for all the input and ideas - I'll go with cr2032 and see how it goes. Batteries, holders and ceramic caps are all on their way, so time will tell on this one.

                                          Thanks all! :)

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