General Battery Life Question

Hello,

I realize this is a question with many, many variables, but I wanted to get a general idea. Given a simple setup where a button press plays a sound from a project board (like the Bear Demo video), what kind of battery life can I expect from 2 or 3AAs? Do I need to wire an on/off switch to prevent battery drain? Or does the project board have a type of low-power mode when it's not in use?

Thanks!

-eric

Hi Eric:

In the example programs, you'll see that the program eventually reaches an "end" statement. The "end" command stops the program execution and puts the chip into a very low power state, generally around 2 uA. As long as no other outputs are active, like LEDs or motors, then the current draw from the supply should be in the microamp range.

To wake the chip up, simply press a button (or trigger an input some other way), and the program will begin executing based on which input was triggered.

As long as you use the "end" command to put the chip to sleep, two or three AA batteries will last a LONG time. Of course, as you say, the battery drain during operation depends on what you're doing (playing audio, running a motor, or driving LEDs). In general, an ON/OFF switch is not required.