Smart internet tools energize IoT applications
Finding a battery that offers the perfect combination of performance, reliability, long life and cost is crucial to the success of any internet of things (IoT) application. But with so many different battery types and technologies to choose from it can be hard for developers to make a fully informed decision. Saft is helping to cut through the noise with two free online tools – Smart Battery Selector and Wisebatt for Saft - as Tom Willis, Saft Marketing Director for Connected Energy explains.
Smart Battery Selector
Our Smart Battery Selector has proved exceptionally popular with developers. Since its launch in September 2020, it has been used over 1,600 times to evaluate the best batteries to energize IoT applications. All a developer needs to do is follow a seven-step process. This covers vital performance requirements such as voltage, steady state and pulse currents, together with environmental factors including extreme temperatures. The output is a customized report recommending the primary lithium batteries that best meet their objectives.
The tool draws on statistics, historical data and experience from millions of field deployments of our two main primary lithium battery chemistries for IoT devices: lithium-manganese dioxide (Li-MnO2 – LM/M ranges) and lithium-thionyl chloride (Li-SOCl2 - LS, LSH and LSP ranges).
We regard the Smart Battery Selector as a living thing under constant improvement. That means we regularly add more communication protocols, use cases and detailed lifetime calculations.
The online tool can be accessed at: https://saft4u.saftbatteries.com/en/iot/simulator
Wisebatt for Saft
Saft has partnered with Wisebatt, the simulation platform for IoT applications, to offer “Wisebatt for Saft”. This is our special free-to-use version of the online simulator that helps developers build virtual prototypes of their devices and estimate their lifetime in the field.
Wisebatt for Saft platform uses performance data from a library covering tens of thousands of electronic components including our batteries. It carries out modelling to account for real-world operational and environmental conditions. This is important as IoT devices are often used in hard-to-reach locations where it is not possible to change the battery. Therefore, battery life is the lifetime-defining factor.
Electronic engineers using Wisebatt have reported savings of up to three months of development time, worth around €200k. This capability is now available free to Saft customers in a special version that enables them to evaluate our state-of-the-art lithium batteries in their own IoT devices.
Wisebatt for Saft is available at saft.wisebatt.com