User's Manual

CHAPTER 2
Using the addSDI
10
operate at least two weeks on a fully charged battery under the fol-
lowing conditions:
• The channel has moderate radio activity, with requests every
15 minutes.
• Sensor readings are stored in the internal memory every 15
minutes.
• The sensors do not drain excessive current (neither in sleep-
mode nor during measurement).
Table 1 shows the addSDI devices’ expected operating time on a
fully charged battery under various conditions..
Note: Radio activity means that one base station and between one
and three RTUs are active on the same operating frequency
as the addSDI remote station under test.
However, if for some reason (wear-out or accident) the battery
loses its capacity (noted in the software with repeated “Battery
low” messages), it must be replaced. Make sure, though, that the
problem is really due to the battery and not to a defective or dirty
solar panel.
Adcon highly recommends you to take good care of your solar
panels! Clean them frequently with a damp cloth. Rain droplets
might splash thin layers of soil onto the panels, wind and spraying
covers them with dust, birds tend to drop “things” onto them, thus
reducing their power output. Watch out for the surrounding vege-
tation! A solar panel, well exposed to the sun at the beginning of
the season, might be shadowed by growing vegetation as the sea-
son progresses.
Table 1. addSDI Device Operation Time
Radio
Activity
Average SDI-12
Sensor Current
Average
Consumption
(mA)
Estimated
Operation
(days)
No none 0.667 100
Yes none 0.833 80
Yes 1.1mA 1.8 37