Choice of battery

Hello,
I am planning to use electron with a single battery of 3.7 V. I am not using LiPo but I am planning to use Li SOCl2 battery. I have a few doubts regarding the configuration:

  1. Its mentioned we can use input from 3.9 V to 12 V at Vin, so can I connect this battery as long as it supports the peak current and can serve the capacity?

  2. Can I use it at Li+ pin, as it is mentioned we can use LiPo battery, can we also use other ones as long as they support?

From the datasheet of BQ24195 BAT can handle upto 6V and checked that MCU can handle upto 3.6V.


Just one thing I want to point out with a LiSOCl2 batteries + Electron setup is that high peak currents may reduce the supplied voltage to 3.4 or even 3.3V while it is connecting. Same goes for operating it at lower temperatures.

I have the same setup and decided to add in a 3.6V booster to keep the voltage consistent and prevent Electrons from dying out on me.

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@Vitesze can you share me the details of the booster and thank you for informing me out that voltage can reduce that low. A switching regulator can also solve the purpose before connecting the LiSOCL2 batteries?

You didn’t mention whether you use a bobbin or spiral type (I assume spiral, as bobbin wouldn’t even deliver sufficient current for the Electron unless many are seried together) but if you have a look at the datasheet of the battery, it will probably show the voltage decline under high current loads (for mine, at 730mA and +20C, this would be only 3.3V). So depending on your project they may underperform a bit for an Electron (I had about 10 of these incidents so far, with 50 sensors over the span of 2 months).

I use this right now which goes in between the battery and the Electron to keep it at a very consistent 3.6V.

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Thank you for sharing your experience @Vitesze. I will check with the type of battery I am using and its datasheet aswell. There seems to be a converter aswell from 3v8 to 3v3 but at the peak as 3v8 is also dropping U-blox might not be able to get sufficient voltage. Seems a good idea to be using a converter right after the battery and before electron.

Here, for further reference, a voltage graph (while connecting) for one of my sensors that was kept in a freezer. Guess what day I added in the booster :wink:

I’m not too experienced with the Particle products, but the LiPo is already presumed pretty much dead when it reaches 3.45V or so.

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@Vitesze, nice transformation after the converter. Have you got a similar performance for LiSOCl2 as well, must be similar right?

This graph was actually with an ER34615M LiSOCl2-battery (single D cell). My own sensors are to go outside in the freezing Canadian cold so it was very important for me to prevent big voltage drops.

If your project takes place in a warm climate, you may get away with leaving out the booster, but I have no data on higher temperatures.

Indian winters can be compared to your summers I guess, but yet a converter seems to be a good idea as the module draws a peak of 1.8 amps during the transmission. I need to do a similar test/monitor of the battery voltage like you are doing. Thank you for sharing your experience @Vitesze

Are you using a 2G or 3G unit? The 3G Electrons actually only draw 800mA, and it regularly may be even lower if the connectivity is good. Only the older 2G units use up to 2A.

Hello,
@Vitesze I am using a 3G module and 5 sensors! I am expecting a big drop hence would need a booster I guess. I forgot to ask you at what pin are you connecting this battery?

I had them produced with a JST connector, so I actually connect them in the same manner as the LiPo batteries. You should be able to connect it on the Li+ pin as well. Since the documentation states VIN only accepts 3.9 to 12V, the battery (3.6V) wouldn’t supply sufficient power unless you use a booster.

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