Extreme low power in an extreme location
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Tim Moffat
All the components used were rated down to -40c including the L91 Ultimate ...
Chris McAneny
Welcome to the extreme power, extreme location blog!
Darren Wenn, Chris McAneny, and Tim Moffat
8/24/2010 1:43 PM EDT
Intrepid design engineers plan a mountaineering trip on which they'll test a specially-designed MCU device optimized for low power and extreme environments.
What do you get when you have two engineers preparing to climb Africa’s famous Mt. Kilimanjaro —the highest free-standing mountain in the world—within two weeks of each other (Early September and Late August, to be exact)? In our case—Microchip Technology’s Darren Wenn and Future Electronics’ Chris McAneny—you recruit Microchip engineering intern Tim Moffat to build a device that will track your location via GPS while continuously taking various measurements, such as temperature and barometric pressure. Following in the mountaineering footsteps of our famous British countrymen is no easy task by itself, but we couldn’t resist the opportunity to also test the limits of eXtreme Low Power microcontroller design.
We thought you might enjoy hearing about our project, and we're grateful to EE Times' new EE Life Community for providing us with a home for this “limited series” blog. Hopefully, this will be an entertaining way for you to learn about designing a device that has to operate in extreme conditions with a limited battery-power budget.
Each of us—Darren, Chris and Tim—will be blogging weekly, as we prepare for the climb and design the devices. Darren and Chris will also be keeping a journal as we make our rugged ascent, and will be taking plenty of photos and video along the way. We’ll begin sharing all of this with you as soon as we make it down the mountain—hopefully, without any hospitalizations inbetween! Then, we will compare notes on our treks, alongside Tim’s design goals, to provide you with some practical lessons learned.
Watch for our next few blog posts, which introduce the project from our individual perspectives. If you’d like to learn more about us, please check out our bios.
We hope you enjoy this little adventure, and that you gain some useful insights for your own extreme-low-power or extreme-condition designs. And, we look forward to reading your comments and responding to your questions!--Darren Wenn, Chris McAneny and Tim Moffat
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kinnar
8/25/2010 5:01 AM EDT
Its a new concept, I liked they way of testing the low power microchip design.
We will be very eagerly waiting for the posts to come on the blog.
I wish the entire team a very good time and best of luck.
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DWenn
8/27/2010 1:54 PM EDT
Thanks very much for all your messages of good luck. Chris is leaving this weekend and I just realised it is only 2 weeks until I fly..... it's getting close... execiting times.
For the moment I'm out in Arizona at the annual Microchip MASTERs event, I am calling this the 'high temperature' portion of my training since jogging seems to only be possible at 5am!
...Darren
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hm
8/25/2010 10:25 AM EDT
This will be real life, on field testing. What will be your sample size and will you be employing any energy harvesting power devices? If you provide us with basic block schematic and parts number to be employed, we can try to conceive our own probable design and try to see how close our design is to yours. Also if you provide your test plan before you depart, we can comment on your test plan. Our best wishes to you and will eagerly await your blog.
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Tim Moffat
8/26/2010 12:40 PM EDT
We bench tested 3 device, acid tested 1 board before sending 2 devices to mt. Kilimanjaro. Over the next few weeks we will dive into all of the hardware used.
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Duane Benson
8/25/2010 9:11 PM EDT
One of the really cool things about our time is the ability to involve the world in research projects like this. Plenty of things do need to take place in the lab, but the more projects like this that get out in to the world, the better. Not only is it great social marketing, it's real-world testing, and perhaps even more importantly, it has the opportunity to inspire young folks toward science and engineering careers.
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Chris McAneny
8/26/2010 5:24 PM EDT
We are delighted to see the interest that our challenge is generating . You are exactly right we are the blessed generation we live in a time with cool technology , cheap travel and a world thats out there to be discovered .
To be able to combine these things with raising money for charity is exhilarating .
Im sure I will need to keep this in mind as step by step I make my way up 19, 344ft ( not that Im counting )
All the best . Chris
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ReneCardenas
9/6/2010 8:47 AM EDT
I like to read the outcome of this challenge, just to know that your electronics do also survive and help you track your accomplishments.
Great adventure and may the force be with you!
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Chris McAneny
9/17/2010 3:11 AM EDT
Hi Rene ,this is Chris "Sherpa"McAneny.
I am now back from Kilimanjaro having summitted . I can tell you the feeling of elation at reaching the roof of Africa was incredible . When you are looking to save every single ounce from your back pack I was delighted that the Altimeter weighed so little .
I did take spare Energiser Batteries but didnt need them as those originally installed stood up to the whole trip and confirmed the ultra low power of the microcontroller/design of the altimeter . Asante Sane ( Thank you very much ) in Swahili .
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DrQuine
9/7/2010 7:20 PM EDT
This is a great extreme environment challenge whose lessons learned (weight, cold, altitude, battery life) which could deliver dividends for everyday users who want long battery life and low weight. As you've done the design, how much of a factor is the extreme cold in your design considerations? Does the altitude (thin air) provide an insulating effect that helps and would have been more of an issue if you were working at elevated temperatures?
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Chris McAneny
9/17/2010 3:19 AM EDT
Chris McAneny
Dr Quine , I will ask Tim as the designer of the Altimeter to add his comments . From my perspective as the trekker that made the 19,341 summit I can say that I was really anxious about the battery life ( I didnt want to be changing batteries 4miles high and at temp of approx -15 ( plus wind chill ). When I got back to a PC and saw the full output from Altimeter for every 45mins from the 7 day trek was another really fantastic moment....and a relief !! . We will post this so anyone can follow our " journey " to the roof of Africa .
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Tim Moffat
9/17/2010 5:04 PM EDT
All the components used were rated down to -40c including the L91 Ultimate Lithium batteries. The high altitude did help us keep the circuit board warm, much less convection since there is less air. I was more worried about condensation since Chris and Darren was going from tropical rain forest to Cold weather in a short period, so I covered sensitive sections of the circuit board with Bee's wax.
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