I want to know if anyone has managed to connect an AC power supply directly from a wall outlet. Or possibly power the Asset Tracker V2 via cigarette lighter. I am able to cut and strip the wires to a wall charger and power the device but I am looking for a more permanant solution. I’m looking for more of a female end I can connect to the device so I can quick connect/disconnect a wall or cigarette lighter power supply.
AC is a no go as supply. You need DC - and it should be fairly clean too.
As for the cigarette lighter, I assume in a car, you need to add some filtering since the board power on a car is notoriously noisy - especially while starting/cranking.
We do not recommend powering it from a USB source, as the USB cable will block the GPS antenna leading to a poor or no satellite reception. If you HAVE to use the USB power, then make sure to use an external GPS antenna.
_Source: https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/product-files/3451/p3451b-datasheet.pdf_
What did you end up doing? I'm searching for a solution as well.
Not sure how strong the impact of the USB cable actually will be when routed in a way that it stays out of the way of the antenna as good as possible.
You could maybe even get a 90° microUSB cable to win some distance.
What’s your reason to need USB?
One “crude” workaround - if you need USB data connection - would be to solder D+/D- wires to the respective solder pads on the Electron and lead the USB cable underneath the Electron out the other end.
In my experience, the AssetTrackerV1 (PA6H with GPS antenna integrated on the chip) is much more sensitive to having the USB cable blocking the GPS signal than the AssetTrackerV2 (u-blox with separate antenna on the shield).