Solar Power for Monitor One

[johncharris]

I'm working on a project where I need solar power with a Monitor One and I have a few questions about powering it:

• How much power does the Monitor One need? (Monitor One Datasheet | Reference | Particle isn't helpful)
• Do I need a solar controller with the built-in charger and broad voltage input of the device?
• How long will the batteries last without being charged. (Winter Conditions)

The application I'm working on is just waiting for an input to change and will not significantly affect the power usage.

Thank you

[rickkas7]

It is possible to charge the Monitor One with a solar panel. The video in this post will be helpful. It's for the Tracker One, but they have the same Tracker SoM inside and will work similarly.

Charging the TrackerONE with a solar panel

Here’s a video on charging the Tracker ONE with a solar panel: [Charging Particle Tracker ONE battery with a solar panel] Keep in mind the voltage and power of the solar panel. Since VIN on the M8 connector has a 6 to 30V range, you want to use a 12V panel (or put two 6V panels in series to get the 12V). The PMIC’s default is 900mA at the internal regulated 5V. So if your panel is providing less than 5W, the charge current will be too much for your panel. I used a 1W panel, so to …

You can use a bare 12V panel connected via the M12 8-pin connector; you don't need a separate charge controller.

The amount of time it will run will be dependent on the size of the panel, which sleep mode you are using, and how often you publish. The first step is to use the battery calculator to figure out how much power you need. Then adjust that for the size of your solar panel and how much cloudiness you need to design for.