Cheap Puck Batteries

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  • At least if you're in the USA. $0.44 each delivered (Amazon Prime). 10 year shelf life. I have 5 Pucks to feed. :(

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008XB­K7PG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UT­F8&psc=1

  • Thanks for the post - it definitely pays to spent a few cents extra on a named brand (I've had some of the super cheap ones leak).

    Shame you're getting through them so fast though - is it something particular that's eating up the battery? I know that persistent connections use up a lot more power on Puck.js.

  • Mostly it's long running tests. Connecting several times a minute and logging results to the console will drain the battery in a day or two. But that's expected.

  • @dlinkman I am testing the ability to log data from the Puck over long periods and have had great results in using NRF.setAdvertising() in a setInterval() function.

    Each time the setInterval() runs (say every 5 seconds) the data that gets advertised is updated. Using node-red to watch these values change allows me to create database entries over time, like temperature, battery level etc.

    Had it running for days now and the battery is still at 100%.

    Basically no need to connect if you are only reading values.

  • Oh I agree completely. Mostly I am testing to understand some behaviors I am seeing. For example, getPrimaryService in a connect sequence sometimes errors out immediately complaining of a disconnect. That doesn't seem right. So I run long tests trying to gauge how often that actually happens. Then I might change my code a little and run again to see if things improve. Your advertising method makes exceptional sense for your use case.

  • Ok so it's more acid testing and development than actual deployment. It's great that you are taking the time to get to the bottom of the connection behaviours.

    I am also a user of the Particle Photon devices that provide me with low power remote solutions over WiFi. For these device's during test I use a 3.7v LiPo battery that gives me hours and hours of use. I wonder if the Puck's will tolerate the 3.7 to 4v of a LiPo? Perhaps a small voltage regulator is required? I see there is a thread about a making a shield/jacket for the Puck. This includes a secondary battery supply. Sounds a good idea to me especially for long testing periods.

  • @Eric - Cannot find that shield/jacket thread. Hint ?

    Edit:
    About LiPo (or better LiFePO) have a look here.

  • @Eric - thanks ;-)

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Cheap Puck Batteries

Posted by Avatar for dklinkman @dklinkman

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