SPX SPIDAR NIC-500s, Operation Manual

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Building a System
75
6.5 Power Requirements
As more NIC-500s and antennas are added to a platform, the power requirements increase and
may require a larger capacity battery. The best way to estimate the total power consumption is
to add up the total components in a platform, using the guidelines below:
•
Each pulseEKKO antenna or transducer = 1 component
•
Each Noggin = 2 component
•
Each NIC-500 = 1 component
Take the total number of components and multiply by the current draw. Each component draws
about 0.25A. This gives an estimate of the total number of Amps the system requires to run.
For example:
•
Scenario 1: 10 pulseEKKO an 3 NIC-500s = 13 components x 0.25A = 3.25A
required
•
Scenario 2: 4 N 2 NIC-500s = 10 components x 0.25A = 2.5A required
Batteries capacities are measured in Amp-hours (Ah). The grey battery in the Pelican case sold
by Sensors & Software is rated for 9 Ah.
For example, using this 9 Ah battery:
•
Scenario 1: the system would run approximately 9 / 6.5 = 1.4 hours
•
Scenario 2: the system would run approximately 9 / 5 = 1.8 hours
Please note that this formula is meant to provide an approximate calculation and may not be
exact.