Description

The energyShield 2 Pro is an all-in-one power solution for any electronics project. It provides 5V and 3.3V outputs at currents up to 1000mA and 300mA, respectively. It is powered by the included 1800mAh (6.7 Wh) lithium polymer battery. The battery is fully enclosed in a durable, injection molded cover to prevent any damage to the lithium polymer cell. The energyShield 2 Pro’s power sleeping Eco Mode can be used to power a project for months without recharging. The battery can be recharged via solar, USB, or power adapter. Finally, the energyShield 2 Pro also includes a fuel gauge for precision battery management and a real-time clock for accurate timekeeping.

More features than you need? Take a look at energyShield 2 Basic!

*Based on running the Blink() sketch.

Features

1800mAh Lithuim-Ion Battery Included with Protective Case

Solar, USB, and Adapter Charging

Full Charge in ~4 Hours

5V (1000mA) and 3.3V (300mA) Outputs

Power Saving Eco Mode for Long Charge Life

I 2 C/TWI Fuel Gauge and Real-time Clock

C/TWI Fuel Gauge and Real-time Clock Fully Assembled

Arduino Compatible

Easy-to-use Arduino Library

Solar Charging

The solar charging employs digital circuitry to regulate the voltage of the solar panel and maintain efficient power generation. This regulation can be dynamically adjusted via I2C and enable the use of a maximum power-point tracking (MPPT) algorithm. The energyShield 2 can also be charged by USB (microB) or a standard power adapter (7-23V 1A, center positive).

Power Sleep Mode

When using battery power, charge life is a constant battle. The energyShield 2 Pro provides a technology that allows the user to turn off the power when it is not needed. The user simply writes a program that completes the desired tasks and then, rather than making it run a delay function, the Arduino commands the energyShield 2 Pro to turn off the power for anywhere from 3 seconds up to 1 week. After the sleep time has elapsed, the energyShield 2 Pro turns the power on, and the code executes again. This allows intermittent projects like data logging or blinking an LED to use a small fraction of the usual power required. A program that turns an LED on for 1 second and then delays for 4 seconds burns power continuously, while a program that turns off the power between blinks only uses power 20% of the time making the battery last 5 times as long. A data logging program that turns on for 10 seconds every 5 minutes would only use power 3.3% of the time making the battery last 30 times as long as normal! With these kinds of power savings, a single charge can run an intermittent project for days… weeks… or even months. Now you can run a project indefinitely when using a small solar panel to maintain the battery.

Real-time Clock

The energyShield 2 Pro also includes a real-time clock (RTC). The RTC uses a quartz oscillator to provide the user with accurate time and calendar dates which can be recorded or displayed. The RTC provides values for hour, minute, second, the day of the month, the day of the week, month, and year. It understands the number of days in each month and even accounts for leap years.

Battery Fuel Gauge

The battery fuel gauge continuously monitors the battery over its life providing the user with accurate battery information including the battery’s voltage, current, percent charge, remaining battery capacity, full charge capacity (based on battery health), and temperature.

Resources