1. What is the Battery Life Equation?

The battery life equation calculates how long a battery will last based on its capacity and the power consumption pattern of the device, accounting for both active and sleep modes.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the battery life equation:

Where:

• \( Capacity \) — Battery capacity in milliamp-hours (mAh)
• \( Active Draw \) — Current draw during active mode (mA)
• \( Duty Cycle \) — Fraction of time spent in active mode (0 to 1)
• \( Sleep Draw \) — Current draw during sleep mode (mA)

Explanation: The equation accounts for the weighted average of current draw between active and sleep modes based on the duty cycle.

3. Importance of Battery Life Calculation

Details: Accurate battery life estimation is crucial for designing battery-powered devices, predicting operational time, and optimizing power consumption.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter battery capacity in mAh, current draws in mA, and duty cycle as a decimal between 0 and 1. All values must be valid positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is a typical duty cycle for IoT devices?
A: Many IoT devices have duty cycles between 0.001 and 0.01 (0.1% to 1% active time).

Q2: How does sleep mode affect battery life?
A: Sleep mode dramatically extends battery life by reducing current draw during inactive periods.

Q3: What are typical sleep currents?
A: Modern microcontrollers can achieve sleep currents as low as 1-10 µA, while full system sleep might be 50-500 µA.

Q4: Should I include other power states?
A: For more accuracy, you can extend the equation to include multiple power states with their own currents and duty cycles.

Q5: How accurate is this calculation?
A: This provides a theoretical estimate. Real-world results vary due to temperature, battery age, and other factors.