[Cyborg] battery standardization
Eric Boyd
mrericboyd at yahoo.com
Thu Mar 26 22:36:21 UTC 2009
Sensebridge,
I did some research into LiPo batteries. My conclusion is that we should standardize on the SparkFun batteries. This conclusion is based on:
Price: SparkFun is quite reasonable, only a couple dollars more than the cheapest batteries I found - 860mAh = $8.95, $8.06 at quantity 10. The charger is slightly pricey at $20 though.
Safety Circuit: SparkFun batteries all have over-voltage, over-current and minimum voltage protection. This is unheard of elsewhere, and probably a great idea for prototyping...
Connector: SparkFun batteries come with wires and a nice connector, included for free.
Size: 860mAh = 0.23x1.16x2.0" (5.84x29.5x51mm), although it's slightly larger than others (some camera batteries have ~1.7" largest dimension), it's still quite reasonable. Also, this pack is "soft", which is probably better for us, since we can bend it a little (e.g. around the ankle).
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=341
(you can find the charger and other sizes in the list below the featured product)
What does everyone think of this? I propose we discuss at Sunday meeting and then put in a bulk order if we're agreed.
Also, here's some interesting info on what we can expect for battery lifetime:
http://www.liquidware.com/shop/show/BP/Lithium+BackPack
Claims that even with just Arduino in standby, this is expected lifetime:
600mAh = 9.4 hours
10000mAh = 15 hours
2200mAh = 29 hours
Obviously if we also power sensors and displays, lifetime will be even more limited.
Eric
Other options I found:
MaxAmps http://maxamps.com/categories.php?cat=8
Huge selection for remote control vehicles, but VERY expensive (1550mAh = $25, cheapest I found, most are $30 or even $50). Also, most seem to be at higher voltage - 7.4V or even 11.1V.
ShopXtreme
http://shopxtreme.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=casio+np-20&gclid=CMbR7M68wZkCFSMSagod7ngYuA
Sells digital camera batteries, including no-name brands
There is a "casio np-20" 800mAh 50.80x32.45x4.60 mm for $5.89 right now, and a charger kit for $16. There are lots of suppliers for the np-20 format.
See also CANON NB-6L 1.75 in. x 1.25 in. x 0.50 in 850mAh $7.29
http://shopxtreme.com/canon-nb6l-nb6l-liion-battery-850mah-high-capacity-p-1634.html
The disadvantage of both of these is they ship with just contacts - no wires/connectors. So it'll be a slight pain to actually hook them up.
If you already have a camera which takes a cell, it might be wise to personally standardize on those cells, if you want to go this route - you already have the charger, and it'll be handy to swap from camera to your armature and vice versa...
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