Arduino MKRFOX1200 has been designed to offer a practical and cost effective solution for makers seeking to add SigFox connectivity to their projects with minimal previous experience in networking. It is based on the Microchip SAMD21 and a ATA8520 SigFox module. Long Battery Life Can run for over six months on 2 AA 1.5V batteries with typical usage. . The design includes the ability to power the board using ...

Researchers at Cambridge University have just achieved a spectacular breakthrough in electronics design. They have developed new ultralow power transistors that could function for months or even years without a battery. These transistors look for energy from the environment around, thus reducing the amount of power used. Dr Sungsik Lee, one of the researchers at the Department of Engineering says, “if we we ...

There are two things that you don't want to do with any rechargeable battery on a routine basis: Overcharge it. Overdischarge it. While the above are true for lead-acid batteries, they are particularly true of Lithium-Ion chemistries, but for different reasons. With Lead-acid batteries: Lead-acid batteries - particularly the "flooded cell" types (e.g. those to which you can add water) can handle quite a bit ...

Battery lifetime is a key consideration for the development of the wireless sensor nodes that will populate the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). In many applications, the sensor nodes will need to be installed in locations that are difficult to reach let alone service. The sensor nodes need to be autonomous in terms of energy because it is too costly and difficult to run power lines to them or to have ...

Wouldn't it be nice if you could start warming up the camp before you leave the house? How about using Alexa to do it for you! Things used in this project Hardware components Amazon Alexa Echo Dot × 1 Arduino MKR1000 × 1 ControlEverything.com Relay Shield for Particle Photon I²C 8-Channel SPDT 10-Amp This one says its an i2c relay shield, the one I used was just an opto coupler relay shield with 8 input pin ...

"You just say what the thing does and then you add '-er'." Replenisher keeps your fridge, office...stocked! Just scan! "I'm going on break!" Story TL;DR; This project utilizes the AmazonDRS Arduino library to initiate frictionless purchases on Amazon by scanning NFC tags. Looking for some help getting started with AmazonDRS Dash Replenishment for Arduino and still need to get your Amazon accounts setup, aut ...

University of California, Irvine researchers have invented nanowire-based battery material that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times, moving us closer to a battery that would never require replacement. The breakthrough work could lead to commercial batteries with greatly lengthened lifespans for computers, smartphones, appliances, cars and spacecraft. Scientists have long sought to use nanowires ...

The DFRobot Beetle is one the latest innovations in minimalistic Arduino technology. About the size of a quarter, and the capabilities of an Arduino Leonardo, this tiny guy can minimize your projects with ease without having to sacrifice functionality. After working with the Beetle, I am going to show you some tips and necessary tricks I learned to get this little device working properly over a Bluetooth HC ...

A new “all-climate” lithium-ion battery can rapidly heat itself to overcome freezing temperatures with little sacrifice in energy storage capacity and power, researchers say. This advance might enable applications for which high-performance batteries are needed in extremely cold temperatures, such as electric cars in cold climates, high-altitude drones, and space exploration. EC Power is now creating all-cl ...

Any hobbyist can charge a battery quickly, but can you do it without an explosion, excessive heating or major degradation in battery cycle life?   Well many companies have managed fast charging techniques  that typically use specialized algorithms. These algorithms take into account the chemistry of the battery and some sort of non-standard charging rate curve. Many device manufacturers and wireless op ...

Dendrites – thin conductive filaments that form inside lithium batteries – reduce the life of these cells and are often responsible for them catching fire. Scientists working at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) of the US Department of Energy claim to have produced a new electrolyte for lithium batteries that not only completely eliminates dendrites, but also promises to increase battery effi ...

Suppose that you need to test a 1.5V, AA-size alkaline battery. You can apply a short circuit and measure current, or you can measure open-circuit voltage, but neither method properly tests the battery. A suitable test current of approximately 250 mA gives you a more reasonable test. You can use a 6Ω resistive load at 1.5V, which produces an output voltage of 1.46V at an ambient temperature of 25°C if the b ...