ADI Voyager4 EV-CBM-VOYAGER4-1Z Wireless Vibration Assessment Kit - Achieving Low Power Consumption

[Alan_Yang]

This article discusses how to achieve low power consumption using the ADI Voyager4 EV-CBM-VOYAGER4-1Z Wireless Vibration Assessment Kit.

This kit allows designers to quickly deploy wireless solutions to devices or test setups, detect abnormal motor behavior through edge AI algorithms, and trigger diagnostic and maintenance requests.

The details of power management illustrate how battery life is affected in the context of the many power phases of the Voyager4’s operation. This management scheme is centered on the multifaceted MAX20355EWO+ power management integrated circuit (PMIC), a power-line communication and buck-boost converter with a proprietary ModelGauge fuel gauge.

This IC incorporates two ultra-low quiescent current buck regulators and three ultra-low quiescent current low-dropout (LDO) linear regulators. The output voltage of each LDO and buck regulator can be individually enabled and disabled, and each output voltage value can be programmed through the device’s I2C interface. The BLE processor enables or disables individual PMIC power outputs for different Voyager4 operating modes. Additional power regulation is provided by the MAX38642AELT+T, an adjustable, single-output, positive-voltage buck regulator that sources up to 350 milliamperes (mA).

In operation, the features of the Voyager4 depend on the BLE and AI operating modes to determine the MAX32666 and MAX78000 active or inactive modes, which is critical to minimizing overall power

Voyager4 Mode	BLE Advertising	BLE Connection	BLE Data Streaming	AI Inference	Deep Sleep
Deep Sleep	0	0	0	0	1
Training	1	1	1	0	1
Normal/AI	0	0	0	1	1
Peripheral	0	0	0	0	1
1 = Feature is active, 0 = Feature is inactive

To minimize overall power consumption, the Voyager4 shifts its power-mode features between active and inactive states depending on the BLE and AI operational phase. (Image source: Analog Devices)

In the training mode, the BLE MCU needs to broadcast, connect, and transmit data every hour, with a power consumption of approximately 0.65mW. In the AI mode, even if it is activated once an hour, the power consumption drops to 0.3mW. When there is no need to transmit raw data, the power consumption can be reduced by up to 50%.

A sensor that does not have to transmit raw BLE data can consume up to 50% less power. (Image source: Analog Devices)

As a result of the 0.3 mW power consumption, a battery life of up to two years is possible with a single 1500 milliampere-hour (mAh) battery, and over seven years is achievable with two AA-size 2.6 ampere-hour (Ah) batteries. For maximum lifespan, these AA cells should be the type that is intended for low baseline operating current with only periodic pulses. These can operate for five years minimum under these conditions, while some higher-end versions can provide power for over 20 years.

Related Part Number:

ADI Voyager4 EV-CBM-VOYAGER4-1Z Wireless Vibration Assessment Kit

• MEMS Accelerometers
  • ADXL382: A 16-bit, 8kHz bandwidth three-axis digital accelerometer for high-precision vibration data collection (such as bearing fault detection).
  • ADXL367: A 14-bit, 100Hz low-power three-axis accelerometer responsible for monitoring vibration events in low-power scenarios and waking up the system.
• Microcontrollers and Edge AI Processing
  • MAX32666: A microcontroller integrated with BLE 5.3, responsible for wireless data transmission and system control.
  • MAX78000: An edge AI processor with a built-in hardware CNN accelerator, realizing local vibration anomaly detection and reducing the need for data upload.
• Power Management Modules
  • MAX20335: A load switch to optimize system power consumption.
  • MAX17262: A battery charge monitoring chip that provides real-time feedback on battery health status.
  • MAX38642: A power management IC that supports flexible power supply schemes.