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Getting Started with TEP DISCUSSION
What measurements are needed before asking whether a battery can power a wireless sensor for a month? Quoting the MCU's sleep current seems insufficient when the development board also has a regulator, LEDs and a radio.
For a first estimate, suppose a node uses 80 mA for 2 seconds every minute and 0.1 mA for the remaining 58 seconds. How should the calculation be presented, and which losses should be checked afterward?
The time-weighted average is (80 mA × 2 s + 0.1 mA × 58 s) / 60 s, or about 2.76 mA. A nominal 2,000 mAh cell would therefore suggest roughly 724 hours in an idealized calculation. Label that as an estimate rather than a promised runtime. The usable capacity depends on the cell, discharge conditions and the device's cutoff voltage.
Measure the whole board at the battery connection. Regulator quiescent current, power LEDs, pull-ups and sensor standby current can dominate a sleeping MCU. If the current figures were measured on a regulated rail at a different voltage, convert using power and regulator efficiency rather than directly dividing battery mAh by load-rail mA. State the measurement point and voltage with every current value.
Include retransmissions, network joining and failed connections in the workload. A radio that usually transmits for two seconds may remain awake much longer when the access point is unavailable. Also check peak current capability and supply droop: acceptable average consumption does not guarantee reliable startup or transmission. A current trace over several complete cycles is more informative than a single steady reading.
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