Whisper Node, a Wireless Arduino-based platform on a single battery. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mmusskopf
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 10:08:06 pm
content: :-+Hi everyone, I would like to use this forum to announce my first Kickstarter project: Whisper Node!For some time now I've been designing and testing a new Dev board, which I've created to fulfill some requirements I had for a project. I needed a good Wireless communication and able to run my Arduino for some long periods on battery.For that reason I've created the "Whisper Node", which I'm glad to announce it's now available on Kickstarter via the link below:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/340271897/whisper-nodePlease check it out, share with your friends and support this project if you believe it's interesting.Thank you all! Mike M.

author: ferrix
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 12:23:23 am
content: "ardreeno" =P

author: mmusskopf
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2016, 01:12:47 am
content: Yep... even a discussion about that:https://www.reddit.com/r/arduino/comments/1s2xye/does_the_pronunciation_ardreeno_bother_anyone_else/

author: mmusskopf
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2016, 06:26:43 am
content: Just to let everybody know that we've received the high-power version for the radio module we're using on this project and I'm attaching the results.... not too bad 1.5Km on little antennas and still using a single worn AAA battery on the transmitter (see attachment). For the IoT around the property should be more than enoughNow for those wondering the application on other places like in a big farm, we'll try to get some Yagi directional antennas and find a nice open place to test, I guess we can easily do over 5Km.Cheers!Mike M.

author: mmusskopf
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 13, 2016, 04:46:15 am
content: A brief update on this project:1. That's how the final version is looking like... a few extra components from the original design. The power supply (right side) ended up being quite busy with some extra circuits!2. Everything is going as planned: theboard is in Productionand delivery should start well before planned date.3. Manage to get down to3.7uA average consumption when everything is at sleepwhen powered by 2xAA (3V). When powering from 1xAA (1.5V) the sleeping consumption goes to 5.4uA.4. The MCP16251 step-up power regulator proved to be very efficient as well. Getting around90% efficiencywhen tested with a100R loadand the board being powered by a1.5V source, stepping-up to 3.3V.As we all know, batteries are likely to drop its voltage along the life, especially Alkaline ones. The tests showed that the board was able to keep running under very low input voltage. For example, with the same100R loadand ainput voltage of 0.8Vthe regulator was doingover 75% efficiency and outputting 3.25V. For the sleeping testing, the consumption waswell under 9uA when powered by 0.8V.5. A few extra components can be soldered to the back of the board by the user, depending on individual needs. Like a RTC, a 1117 LDO or a CR2032 battery holder.6. For the ones interested on the software. The MCU will be shipped with a modified bootload, capable of performing firmware update from the external SPI Flash, which can be easily used to do over-the-air upgrades. Also a"Factory reset"is possible, putting the board to it's factory firmware and ready toreceive new software over-the-air. The idea is to have a board which could be programmed and never needs to be connected to a computer (of course you'll need at least two boards for that to work).More details at:https://talk2.wisen.com.au/product-talk2-whisper-node-avr/https://bitbucket.org/talk2/whisper-node-avr/overviewCheers,