Battery Simulator / Energy Usage Data Logger/Monitor - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: MotoDan
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2022, 09:44:41 pm
content: Hello all,I am looking for a piece of test equipment that is used to determine the amount of power consumption for battery-powered iOT and embedded devices. The device basically replaces the battery of the UUT and essentially makes very fast current measurements and builds a power consumption profile which can be used to determine a devices expected battery life.I think most of us just do the best we can at estimating our product's projected battery life based on what we have for power usage calculations. A device like I am looking for should provide a very accurate battery life prediction based on actual energy profiles (sleep, active, xmit, rcv, etc.) over a certain sample period.There seems to be a few different products on the market. Here's a link for several related products:https://pallavaggarwal.in/dc-current-analyzer-for-embedded-iot-product-development/I have the Current Ranger as well as Dave's uCurrent, but neither are really very useful for integrating the power usage over time. The Joulescope looks to be the closest to what I am looking for.Does anyone have any experience with this type of logger/monitor?TIA

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2022, 06:04:33 am
content: Some battery simulators:Keithley 2300 Series =https://www.tek.com/en/products/keithley/dc-power-supplies/2300-seriesKeithley Series 2281S =https://www.tek.com/en/products/keithley/dc-power-supplies/2281s-seriesKeysight 66321B =https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/66321B/mobile-comm-dc-source-battery-emulation.html

author: Xandinator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2022, 11:39:36 pm
content: Not to forget:R&S NGM200 =https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/products/test-and-measurement/dc-power-supplies/rs-ngm200-power-supply-series_63493-652229.htmlhttps://goughlui.com/2019/08/20/launch-day-review-rohde-schwarz-ngm202-power-supply-overview/has made some nice, extensive reviews.With fastlog you can almost gaze at some µCs processing different instructions...

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2022, 01:45:14 pm
content: Quote from: Xandinator on July 30, 2022, 11:39:36 pmYes, the FastLog feature on the NGM can log up to 500,000 samples per second. The NGM also has a very good battery simulator mode, with user-definable battery models, and it can act as both a source and sink.I made a video that provides a brief introduction to these (and many other) NGM features:FastLog and battery simulation are from 13:23 to 18:00.

author: Steve77
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 22, 2023, 09:21:49 pm
content: Paul,Sorry to comment on such an old thread, however, that was one fantastic presentation. One of the best I have ever seen on a piece of test equipment. I think you just altered my budget for my battery operated project.

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2023, 04:46:21 pm
content: Quote from: Steve77 on July 22, 2023, 09:21:49 pmDon't ever be sorry to leave comments like those- thanks!

author: mdredmond
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 01:04:15 am
content: Quote@pdenisowski What would be the best way to obtain good data to use for the battery simulator? The NGM looks like something we need and it's in budget. I am working on some sleepy devices that have occasional fairly high current needs (>300mA) and the current plan is to use two Energizer lithium primary cells. Is the data in this datasheet sufficient to model the batteries?https://data.energizer.com/pdfs/l91.pdf

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 08:14:34 am
content: Quote from: mdredmond on August 14, 2023, 01:04:15 amThe datasheet should be sufficient. You could measure the relevant quantities yourself as you discharge the batteries, but I would imagine the manufacturer has done this carefully / rigorously and that the datasheet numbers represent a large number of measurements (i.e. they testedlotsof batteries).

author: mdredmond
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 14, 2023, 12:44:39 pm
content: Paul, one more thing... Is the NGM as appropriate for this problem as a Source Measure Unit would be? Something like the NGU? Either is a lot of money and I want to get it right the first time.Thanks!

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2023, 02:00:57 pm
content: Quote from: mdredmond on August 14, 2023, 12:44:39 pmThey both should be fine for battery simulation - it really depends on what your specific needs are and what else you might use it for.Incidentally, I also did a video about the NGU