Questions tagged [battery]

A battery is an electrical power source which is often portable.

Batteries are electrochemical devices. That is, they store energy in chemical form, and can convert it to electrical energy when required. They are available in a very wide variety of configurations, producing different voltages, with different power output capabilities.

Some are single-use devices which are disposed of when depleted. In consumer products, these are often referred to as alkaline batteries. Others types of battery may be recharged repeatedly for multiple uses, such as lithium ion or lead acid batteries.

This tag should be used for questions about using batteries with Arduino devices. This can include using batteries as a power supply, but may also cover projects where the Arduino controls the batteries in some way (e.g. as part of a recharging circuit).

277 questions
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What are (or how do I use) the power saving options of the Arduino to extend battery life?

For solar & battery powered projects, decreasing power consumption is a necessity. I know a little bit about using a timer and interrupt to put the microcontroller into sleep when it isn't doing anything. I have also read that you can disable some…
sachleen
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Powering Arduino with car batteries

Presumably, one powers an Arduino board with car batteries for long-term operation away from the power grid. How can this be done, and what are the most (1) economic, and (2) reliable ways to do this? Specifically, do any additional risks to short…
0xF2
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Arduino powering from 9V battery

Yesterday afternoon I have left my Arduino running on a fresh Alkaline 9V battery (+ connected to Vin, - connected to GND). Today morning (16 hours later) the LCD display was no longer visible, and when I measured the volatage, I saw the battery was…
Suma
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Extend battery life with a power-controlling microcontroller?

This article describes a method to extend the battery life: use a low-power controller to switch on the Arduino only when needed. The author states that this method uses considerably less power than using Arduino's sleep mode. Are there downsides to…
tuomassalo
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Bootup on lower power not functioning

I have a custom Arduino ATMega328 board that generally runs at 5V @ 8MHz (using the Arduino Pro 3.3V 8MHz profile and bootloader). The main reason I'm using this setup is so that I can put the board to sleep when main power is disconnected and it…
Adam Haile
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Arduino ADC Reference Voltage if it is Battery Powered

I am looking to possibly monitor battery power to the Arduino using its ADC. This is fairly straight forward and simple (especially if using the Arduino API); however, if the battery is powering the Arduino and is unregulated externally, won't the…
ryeager
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Two batteries sharing ground?

I need to power my arduino and 2 DC motors requiring 6V each, I want to power the DC motors with a 6V battery through the vM pin on an h-bridge and use a 9V battery to power the Arduino itself. On my breadboard I have a dedicated power line and…
Kartashuvit
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Day-night powered Arduino

What should I do to have an Arduino Pro Mini 5V (clone) powered by a 5V solar panel during the day and by battery during night which will be charged during the day by the solar panels. is there any guide out there? is it possible with the 5V…
Christos Mitsis
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Most power efficient way to constantly save 2 kilobytes of data per second

I would like to constantly save data coming from sensors (for an activity tracker) while consuming as less battery as possible (I'd like to have a 4/5 days autonomy on a 3000 mAh battery) but I can't find the best way to save about 2 kBytes/s on a…
Pop Flamingo
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How to read high voltage (40-65v) from a Solar Battery bank

I would like to monitor the battery voltage of a 48v solar battery system. The expected voltage range is 40-65v. I have tried creating a voltage divider with 2 resistors but with all values I have tried one resistor almost melts as soon as you…
Joelm
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Can I have backup power for an Arduino device?

I have an arduino project that will work while plugged into a generic outlet. But I want to connect a battery in case the power goes out. I know there are various power sources (coin cell, polymer lithium, 9V, etc.). But if I code my project to use…
SnowboardBruin
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No power from Breadboard Power Supply Module

Components Breadboard Power Supply Module IM120525004 1 kOhm resistor Green LED Arduino Nano LiPo 7.4V battery LED Lights Up Fine with USB power from the Arduino LED Does Not Light Up with power from the Supply Module What am I doing…
Cel
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How to power an Arduino using automated mains/rechargeable battery switching?

I'd like to power my Arduino circuit like a smartphone. That is: When the device is unplugged, power by rechargeable battery When the device is plugged in, power by mains and charge battery at the same time I'd like to not go the expensive shield…
Ana
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Using multiple laptop battery packs to power everything

I'm working on a medium sized robot project with multiple arduinos to control stuff. I've been planning on using a lead-acid battery pack, but then I was given 10 working and identical Asus laptop battery packs rated at 14.8 V 4400 mAh, and one old…
frodeborli
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Thin battery to power arduino micro with nRF8001?

I'm building a project which needs to fit in a wallet. I have an Arduino Micro hooked up to a nRF8001. I attempted three button cells wired in series, which provided a solid 7.5 volts, but only 20mA. A 9V battery successfully powers it, but that's…
ollien
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