So I need to power my Arduino nano that will be flown on a rocket. I need a lightweight way to power it, not like a huge battery holder. I couldn't find anything online, so any help and tips are appreciated!
What else are you powering besides your nano? Maybe a pressure sensor, or an SD card module, or maybe a radio telemetry module?
How long do you want your battery to last?
Im powering two sensors, an MPU6050 IMU, and a BMP280 pressure sensor, and an sd card module. I need the battery to last about 5 minutes MAX.
... and I should have asked if your boards are operating from 5v or 3.3v.
I'm pretty sure 5v. Not 100% sure.
Above 3.3V with a combined 5mA-6mA combined current.
Nano is 5V and you need to measure the idle current, but I am guessing 20mA.
The SD-card is power hungry during write and current will be based on the specific card. I would budget 15mA plus and ensure a quality electrolytic near the card to minimize voltage-drop during write. I have used 100uF previously; just do not make it so large that the cap cannot fully charge quickly at power-on.
As you have 3.3V and 5V requirements, I personally would use the inexpensive AA LiFePO4 cells commonly used in yard LED night lights. These have 400mAh to 800mAh capacity. The terminal voltage is 3.2V so ideal for sensors and SD. You can use a cheap boost converter to get 5V for the nano.
However, I recommend you save weight and complexity and use a 3.3V microcontroller. Maybe ESP8266?
ESP8266 Turn off WiFi to save power | Circuits4you.com
So are there any products that can power my nano during flight. If I'm being honest, I am new to electronics so your answer was a bit confusing. So what can I use to power it on my rocket? Thanks.
Batteries. They come in all sizes and all other specifications for that matter.
You need to list the voltage and current required by each module or section of the electronic components.
That will inform the choice of battery voltage and capability of delivering current.
You need to figure out how much weight you can lift with the rocket - electronics plus battery.
The weight limit will in turn dictate the capacity of the battery (or cell), that is to say how long it will run your setup.
You can see there are tradeoffs.
Voltage, current required, running time desired and weight allowed.
a7
The Adafruit Feather series uses mostly 3.3V processors, and most modules have a built in LiPo battery plug + charger circuit.
That and a very small LiPo flatpack would be perfect for a model rocket.
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