Power Supplies Batteries, solar panels, ac chargers, regulators

About Power Supplies

Reliable power supplies enable data acquisition systems to continuously acquire and process data. Because our components use minimal power, many of our systems can be run using sealed rechargeable or alkaline batteries. Systems that require more power are often supplemented with external rechargeable batteries, regulators, ac transformers, or solar panels.

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AC Chargers and Transformers

AC chargers and transformers plug into a 110 or 220 Vac source to recharge sealed rechargeable batteries.read more

Solar Panels

Solar panels are photovoltaic power sources capable of recharging batteries. The minimum battery size and solar panel output required depend on the average current drain of the system, the maximum tim...read more

Regulators

Charge regulators, or charge controllers, must be used to connect sealed rechargeable batteries with a charging source (such as an ac transformer or solar panel). Regulators control the current flowin...read more

Sealed Rechargeable Batteries

For sealed rechargeable battery options, Campbell Scientific offers battery packs and replacement batteries. The battery packs consist of a battery, mounting bracket to attach the battery to an enclos...read more

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Optical Sensor Power Supplies

FAQs for

Number of FAQs related to Power Supplies: 4

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What might cause a battery to not hold its charge?

When a battery won’t charge above approximately 10 or 8 V, it has a bad cell. The battery should be replaced.

A 12 V lead-acid battery is six cells in series; the chemistry provides a little over 2 V per cell.
If solar panels are not feasible, what type of power supply would work well with a weather station and not require replacement for approximately a year?

A power budget for the period in question should be calculated first before selecting any type of power supply. For example, a CR1000 in quiescent mode consumes approximately 0.7 mA. Quiescent current means the datalogger is not making measurements and is not communicating with anything. This current consumption during the year also does NOT include any current consumed by sensors or communications devices, which should be part of the calculation. This equates to 0.0168 A per day or 6.132 A per year.

Typically, a 20% buffer of reserve capacity should be kept in any battery scheme, which equals approximately 7.7 A per year. In applications where the temperature is below freezing, Campbell Scientific recommends increasing the reserve current to 30 to 40%.

Reserving current in this amount is not possible with a BPALK 12-V Alkaline Battery Pack or a 7 Ah battery such as what is used with a PS100 Rechargeable Power Supply. More suitable choices would be the BP12 12 Ah Battery Pack, BP24 24 Ah Battery Pack, PS84 84 Ah Power Supply, BP84 84 Ah Battery Pack, or a user-supplied deep-cycle battery. Batteries can be swapped out and charged at the end of each year of use.
Can a motorcycle battery be used to power a system?

Yes. However, if the datalogger has an internal rechargeable battery, such as the CR3000 with the rechargeable base, disconnect the datalogger battery before connecting the motorcycle battery to the green power connector on the front of the datalogger. Two rechargeable batteries that have different Ahr ratings should not be connected in parallel.
How can it be determined which power supply is the best for a system?

Estimating the power consumption of a system can help with selecting the best power supply option. The system power consumption can be approximated by calculating the average current required by the datalogger, sensors, and peripheral equipment. This average current drain is primarily determined by the percentage of time spent in an active versus quiescent state, which can be approximated from the scan rate and program length of the datalogger.

For more information, and guidance through the calculations, see the "Power Supplies Overview" brochure or the "Power Supplies" application note.

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