Mikroelektronika d.o.o.
SKU: MIKROE-5594Solar Energy 2 Click Board
Solar Energy 2 Click Board
Couldn't load pickup availability
Key Features
- Variety of DC harvesting sources including thermal electric generators (TEG) or photovoltaic (solar), sources in the μW to mW range, flexible operation with primary cell battery, gold capacitors, and supercapacitors, auxiliary voltage output, programmable thresholds, onboard EEPROM, and more
- Based on the EM8500 - power management controller with an energy harvesting interface from EM Microelectronic
- Can be used for powering wireless sensor networks, environmental monitoring devices, portable and wearable health monitoring devices, battery operating platforms, and similar low-power self-sustained devices
- mikroBUS: I2C Interface
The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™: Harness the Power of the Sun
Introducing the Solar Energy 2 Click Board™, the compact add-on board that revolutionizes battery recharging through solar power and more. With its advanced features and cutting-edge technology, this board is a game-changer in the world of energy harvesting.
Efficient Energy Harvesting
The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ features the EM8500, a powerful management controller with an energy harvesting interface from EM Microelectronic. This controller is specifically designed to maximize efficiency when harvesting power from various DC sources, including photovoltaic (solar) and thermal electric generators (TEG). Say goodbye to traditional charging methods and embrace the future of renewable energy.
Powerful Performance
With the Solar Energy 2 Click Board™, you can effortlessly recharge your LiPo battery or supercapacitor, and even conventional capacitors. The EM8500 controller ensures reliable and fast recharging, making it an ideal solution for a wide range of applications.
Versatile Applications
Unleash the potential of the Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ for various power-dependent devices. It's the perfect choice for wireless sensor networks, environmental monitoring devices, portable and wearable health monitoring devices, battery operating platforms, and other low-power self-sustained devices. Experience uninterrupted power and freedom like never before.
Seamless Integration
The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ seamlessly integrates into your existing system, thanks to its compatibility with the mikroBUS™ socket. It comes with a mikroSDK-compliant library, providing simplified software development and enabling you to unlock its full potential effortlessly.
Ready for Action
Don't waste time on untested products. The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ comes fully tested and ready for immediate use. Start harnessing the power of the Sun and take your projects to new heights with this innovative solution.
How Does The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ Work?
The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ is based on the EM8500, a power management controller with an energy harvesting interface from EM Microelectronic. The EM8500 is flexible in operation and can use different energy banks such as primary cell batteries, gold capacitors, and supercapacitors. It can work in harvesting sources in μW to mW range thanks to an ultra-low power DC-DC boost converter with very high efficiency. The EN8500 uses short-term storage (STS) element (100μF capacitor) to speed up system start-up. Besides fast start-up time over battery power, the LTS element (long-term storage) controls the minimum and maximum voltages, thus preventing damage to the battery. The onboard PMU with a built-in mechanism will extend the battery life if using a non-rechargeable battery.
The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ can supply the external application through the VSUP and VAUX0-2 pins and correspondent GNDs of the 12-pin AUX COM header. On the VSUP pin, which is the main supply output, the wake-up function allows the automatic enabling of the supply after a given time. The AUX (auxiliary) output pins can output regulated voltages from 1.2 to 2.6V. Onboard EEPROM stores device configuration data, such as minimum and maximum voltage monitors, which will stop the DC-DC convertor, thus limiting the power loss. On EEPROM can be stored data for the VAUX0-2 and VGND0-2 pins, which besides the voltage output, can be used to store data for disconnecting any of these pins.
There are three modes in which Solar Energy 2 Click can operate. In Normal mode, the battery is connected and is in operating range. The LTS Protection mode is activated when the LTS voltage drops below minimum battery operation. In this mode is activated under-voltage protection. Finally, there is a Sleep mode where the VSUP is not supplied, and the communication with the host MCU is off. Sleep mode exit can be activated over the wake-up pin or by an internal timer.
The EN8500 also comes with several features, such as under-voltage, over-voltage, min/max voltage warning, USB connected status, lux-meter, and more. The lux-meter can run in three modes: Fully Automatic mode, Automatic Range Selection, and Fully Manual mode. The lux-meter determines current ranges by the harvesting element in 1 μA steps. On Solar Energy 2 Click, a VIN SEL switch allows the EN8500 to use the 5V rail from the mikroBUS™ socket or the 5V from the onboard USB Type-C connector as its supply. The EM8500 can detect the power on this line but can't determine if it is from the USB C or the 5V rail of the mikroBUS™ socket.
Although the EN8500 uses 5V rail only for its power management, the Solar Energy 2 Click can work with 3.3V systems, too. This Click board™ features the PCA9306, a dual bidirectional voltage level translator from Texas Instruments. As a low-voltage-side reference voltage, this translator uses the VSUP from the EN8500, while the high-side is the one selected via the VCC SEL jumper. In the same manner, several MOSFETs are used for other onboard interconnections.
The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ uses a standard 2-Wire I2C interface to communicate with the host MCU and supports Standard, Fast, and High-Speed communication. As mentioned, the EN8500 can exit sleep mode via the wake-up functions, which can be the WUP pin of the mikroBUS™ socket or the WUP pin of the AUX COM header. The EN8500 uses two more pins to send statuses to the host MCU. The HLV is used as a harvester-energy levels detection status, while the BLV is used for battery voltage levels monitoring.
The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing easy-to-use functions and an example code that can be used, as a reference, for further development.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Type | Battery charger, Solar Charger |
| Applications | It can be used for powering wireless sensor networks, environmental monitoring devices, portable and wearable health monitoring devices, battery operating platforms, and similar low-power self-sustained devices |
| On-board modules | EM8500 - power management controller with an energy harvesting interface from EM Microelectronic |
| Key Features | Variety of DC harvesting sources including thermal electric generators (TEG) or photovoltaic (solar), sources in the μW to mW range, flexible operation with primary cell battery, gold capacitors, and supercapacitors, auxiliary voltage output, programmable thresholds, onboard EEPROM, and more |
| Interface | I2C |
| Compatibility | mikroBUS |
| Click board size | L (57.15 x 25.4 mm) |
| Input Voltage | 3.3V or 5V |
PINOUT DIAGRAM
This table shows how the pinout of the Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle columns).
| Notes | Pin |  |
Pin | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Up | WUP | 1 | AN | PWM | 16 | BLV | Battery Voltage Level Indicator |
| NC | 2 | RST | INT | 15 | HLV | Harvester Voltage Level Indicator | |
| NC | 3 | CS | RX | 14 | NC | ||
| NC | 4 | SCK | TX | 13 | NC | ||
| NC | 5 | MISO | SCL | 12 | SCL | I2C Clock | |
| NC | 6 | MOSI | SDA | 11 | SDA | I2C Data | |
| Power Supply | 3.3V | 7 | 3.3V | 5V | 10 | 5V | Power Supply |
| Ground | GND | 8 | GND | GND | 9 | GND | Ground |
ONBOARD SETTINGS AND INDICATORS
| Label | Name | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| LD1 | PWR | - | Power LED Indicator |
| JP2 | VCC SEL | Left | Logic Level Voltage Selection 3V3/5V: Left position 3V3, Right position 5V |
| SW1 | VIN SEL | Upper | Power Supply Selection USB/5V: Upper position USB, Lower position 5V |
SOLAR ENERGY 2 CLICK ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS
| Description | Min | Typ | Max | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supply Voltage | 3.3 | - | 5 | V |
| AUX Output Voltage | 1.2 | - | 2.6 | V |
| DC Harvesting Source Voltage | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.8 | V |
Software Support
Software Support
We provide a library for the Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ as well as a demo application (example), developed using MIKROE compilers. The demo can run on all the main MIKROE development boards.
The package can be downloaded/installed directly from NECTO Studio The package Manager (recommended), downloaded from our LibStock™ or found on MikroE Github account.
Library Description
This library contains API for the Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ driver.
Key functions
-
solarenergy2_set_pwr_current_sourceSolar Energy 2 power source selection function. -
solarenergy2_config_abs_voltageSolar Energy 2 config absolute voltage function. -
solarenergy2_set_mppt_ratioSolar Energy 2 set MPPT ratio function.
Example Description
This library contains API for the Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ driver. This driver provides functions to configure the power management controller with an energy harvesting interface.
void application_task ( void )
{
if ( SOLARENERGY2_OK == solarenergy2_get_status( &solarenergy2, &status ) )
{
if ( SOLARENERGY2_OK == solarenergy2_get_bat_vtg_status( &solarenergy2, &vld_status ) )
{
display_status( );
}
}
Delay_ms( 5000 );
}
The full application code, and ready to use projects can be installed directly from NECTO Studio The package Manager (recommended), downloaded from our LibStock™ or found on MikroE Github account.
Other MikroE Libraries used in the example:
- MikroSDK.Board
- MikroSDK.Log
- Click.SolarEnergy2
Additional Notes and Information
Depending on the development board you are using, you may need USB UART Click Board™, USB UART 2 Click or RS232 Click to connect to your PC, for development systems with no UART to USB interface available on the board. UART terminal is available in all MIKROE compilers.
MIKROSDK
The Solar Energy 2 Click Board™ is supported with mikroSDK - MIKROE Software Development Kit. To ensure proper operation of mikroSDK compliant Click board™ demo applications, mikroSDK should be downloaded from the LibStock and installed for the compiler you are using.
Solar Energy 2 Click Board
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a Question?
Be the first to ask a question about this.