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How to get battery level from minimote remote


AutoFrank

Question

Hi ,

does anybody know anyway to get the battery level/status from a minimote remote control

 

If I look at the device parameters through the api their doesn't seem to be any parameter for battery level which surprised me

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does anybody have another way ? or is it not possible because it has a rechargeable battery ?

The device in the UI has no battery indicator either (lower right)

 

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no battery indicator

 

HP.PNG.19411be2a25e2b65c8b7bf68a6fb4c1e.PNG

regular battery powered device

 

 

Thanks

Edited by AutoFrank
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  • 0

I know the answer: the device does not have a battery gauge, it does not have the hardware to measure battery level. It uses a protected LiIon cell, it will suddenly go from "full" to "empty". It is not impossible to have a battery gauge on a LiIon cell, but it is not very easy either. To get accurate results like on a phone or a camera, they have to integrate a special circuit commonly described as a "coulomb counter". You can get a very rough indication from voltage alone, but it is not as good as with disposable cells...

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  • Thanks @petergebruers

    I wonder could I track the 'time left before recharge" by keeping track of how many times a button is pressed or just by time

    Time for some experiments... :-)

     

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    Interesting idea... While you find out, let me do some "order of magnitude" calculations.

     

    Lithium cell, capacity 100 mAh.

    Self discharges in about 6-9 months, say 200 days. So per day after full charge, subtract 0.5 mAh.

    Assume each click turns on the device for 1 second (I do not have a clue, but I think it is "fully on" for as long as the LEDs are on).

    It uses 40 mA so each click is 40/3600 mAh =  0,011 mAh/click.

    So after 3 months (100 days) battery capacity halves, and the other half is good for 50 mAh / 0,011 mAh/click = 4500 clicks.

    Divided by 100 days = 45 clicks per day, total run time 3 months.

    Or, after 5 months (150 days) battery capacity is down to 25 mAh. Divided by 0,011 mAh/click = 2250 clicks.

    Divided by 150 days = 15 clicks per day, total run time 5 months.

     

    I'd say if you put a reminder in your calendar every 4-5 months, you'll never have an empty cell.

     

    What do you think?

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  • 6 hours ago, petergebruers said:

    What do you think?

     

    yep, that seems like reasonable calculations

    I have my counter setup but it'll be a long running experiment :-)

     

     

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  • 4 minutes ago, petergebruers said:

     

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    I was hoping for a slightly shorter timeframe :-)

     

     

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