Battery Consumption
Objective
Measure the battery capacity and operation period.
Proof of Concept
At first we used the maximum current and voltages consumption stated on all components’ datasheets in order to prepare for the worst possible outcome. We had to estimate the expected total power consumption at first and once we were able to obtain the hardware we ran actual measurements on them. Set up the whole phased array system including the Raspberry Pi, Arduino Uno, RFID Reader, PCBs, and LCD then ran the automated scanning code on the Raspberry Pi multiple times. Use a voltmeter and timer to measure the system’s battery capacity and corresponding operation period to ensure adequate battery life.
Pass criteria: Operates for 4 hour periods
Fail criteria: Does not run for 4 hour periods
Methods
Need to measure the battery capacity and operation period. We used the maximum current and voltages consumption stated on all components’ datasheets in order to prepare for the worst possible outcome. We had to estimate the expected total power consumption at first and once we were able to obtain the hardware we ran actual measurements on them. Set up the whole phased array system including the Raspberry Pi, Arduino Uno, RFID Reader, PCBs, and LCD then ran the automated scanning code on the Raspberry Pi multiple times. Use a voltmeter and timer to measure the system’s battery capacity and corresponding operation period to ensure adequate battery life.
Results
Estimating and calculating the components current being drawn in the system, we estimated a total current of 3.8 A being drawn. The total capacity of the battery is 5000 mAh, then we expected the product’s battery to last only 1.3 hours of operation. This calculation is not accurate because when the whole phased array system was set up and in its encasement we were able to scan for multiple RFID tags at the same time when using the automated scanning mode and ran multiple tests the prototype found that the system runs to about 4 hours of continuous operation.