How to power Arduino Nano 3.0 with AA-batteries

Hello,

I'd like to power my two Arduino Nano 3.0s with AA-batteries but I don't know exactly how to do it.

  1. Arduino Nano: 433 MHz RF Receiver, Ultra bright RGB LED with common cathode
  2. Arduino Nano: 433 MHz RF Transmitter, 433 MHz RF Receiver, Ultra bright RGB LED with common cathode, PIR sensor

Both should be powered with AA-batteries (1.5V each).

So the best attempt would be 4x AA-Batteries for each Arduino, right?

Now I have two questions:

  1. How do I connect the batteries? I guess I'm using the VIN-Pin?
  2. How much battery life can I expect for both of them? Are some weeks or months realistic?

Thanks in advance!

Best Regards

4x AA -> OK
Vin -> OK
Alcaline ?? 2000mAh+ http://www.allaboutbatteries.com/Energy-tables.html
current use for Radio ? 100 mA?

20hrs heavy communication.

Hello knut_ny,

thanks for your reply.

The first Arduino which only has the receiver gets only one radio signal per day.

The second Arduino which also has a transmitter will always transmit a short signal every time the PIR sensor is triggered (I would say 15 to 30 times a day).

And yes, 4x Alcaline @ 2000 mAh+.

What battery life can I expect on both devices?

I checked your hyperlink and it seems that I only get 4.9V with four AA-battiers. Is this still okay for 5V consumers?

Thank you!

PIR-sensor , 65mA . Redirect Notice

Arduino & "VirtualWire", 30mA http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/images/product/VirtualWire.pdf

LED 20mA when lit.

Transmitter can be switched off by a MOSFET while waiting (Set dataline LOW, then transisor gate LOW)

May be possible to get this running 100mA. I'd even try to run the setup with 3xAA connected to 5V pin.

You see the same as I do: runtime about 24h.

  • is there a PIR with less power needs out there ? (I think there is)
  • put parts of transmitting uC to sleep ? Wakeup by PIR trigger.

Hello knut_ny,

thank you for your reply.

But the components won't consume these numbers all the time, right? If the LED is flashing every 30 seconds and the PIR sensor is triggered only 15 to 30 times a day. Is there no way that I can run this setup for some weeks or months with 4x AA-batteries?

That datasheet just specifies 65mA. And I don't think triggered or not makes a real difference. So just measure it :slight_smile:

Same advice for the transmitter, just measure it! And if the quiescent current is high, use a PNP to disable the power when not in use.

Of course the led will only draw current when lid. 20mA is the max current per LED. For a RGB that means 60mA max. But if it just has to indicate something 1mA is more then sufficient. Just use a resistor accordingly.

And to make the Arduino more efficient, disable everything you don't need. Remove the power led. And put it to sleep as often as you can :slight_smile:

And it sounds like it doesn't need to do much. Maybe reduce the clock to use the internal 8Mhz clock. That way it's able to run fine down to 2,4V :slight_smile:

Are you sure you need Arduino on the Tx? What do you want to do?

Hello septillion and Datman,

thanks for your replies. English is not my native language, so please excuse me if I have trouble explaining my project.

As I already mentioned, I need two different modules to realize my project. The first module only receives a RF signal once a day and fades in a RGB LED from 0% to 100% brightness over a period of 30 minutes. The second module has a PIR sensor which commands the RF transmitter to transmit a signal every time it gets triggered. In advance both modules should have a Status LED which should flash every 30 seconds to state that the battery is not empty.

I don't know much about electronics and Arduino seemed to be manageable to me. The problem is, I already have two Arduino Nanos at home for this project.

@septillion: This sounds good, but as I already said, I don't know much about electronics. I don't know if I'm able to do all these things. :frowning:

Hello,

I've spotted this article on the web: https://www.openhomeautomation.net/arduino-battery/

Is there a way that I can get similar consumption values with my Nano using the JeeLib? What else can I do to get the least power consumption possible?

How do I use the JeeLib with a PIR-Sensor which should always scan? Put in a 1000 ms Sleep so it only gets triggered every second?

Thank you in advance.

Running a standard Arduino board with a battery will drain the cell very, very quickly. If want to run your project for long periods, have a look on this project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/340271897/whisper-node

It uses a step-up switch regulator and is designed to run on common AA batteries for longer periods and also counts with a wireless transceiver for long range communication!

Cheers!