Hello ,
I am trying to create battery powered and power efficient Sensor node based on Autonomo and Lora.
I am planning to use 3.7V Lion battery with 3450mAh capacity.
As I am new in that area my questions might be basic but was not able to find definitive answer.
- how do I connect 5V sensors (like dust sensor GP2Y1010AU) to 3.3V Autonomo so that autonomy is maximized and no additional HW is needed (if possible) ?
- is there step-up converter in Autonomo so that it could provide 5V to the sensor when Autonomo itself is powered from 3.7V battery ?
Any help will be of great value !
Vasil
There are no step-up converters on board the Autonomo. If you want to attach a 5V sensor, you will need to add a step-up converter for the power to that sensor. You will also need to check what the IO levels for that sensor are, and ensure they do not exceed 3.3V (otherwise you will need other level converters for the IO as well).
Pin 1 on JP2 is labelled 5V. However, this only provides a 5V source if the USB is connected (to a host which is supplying the 5V over USB).
Thank you Gabriel !
Regarding IO levels of the sensor - no way around, I will need level converter.
But may I use 5V USB battery pack like the ones used to charge your tablet or mobile connected to microUSB of Autonomo and will this setup be power efficient ?
It should supply 5V to sensor as well…
Regards,
Vasil
Yes that would work, however, if you use a standard battery, you have the ability to recharge it via a solar panel. You will not be able to recharge the USB battery pack using a Solar panel.