IOTA (ARTIC R2) Satellite Communication Module Hookup Guide

Contributors: PaulZC

Current Draw

Knowing the current drawn by the IOTA is of course very important when calculating your battery life.

We measured the ARTIC R2 Shield's current draw using the fantastic Otii Arc Power Analyzer. IOTA is functionally identical to the Shield and the current draw is the same. The Otii Arc was configured to output 3.6V and we connected it to the Shield's VBATT pin to replicate a LiPo battery.

• Current Draw:
  • Sleep (PWR EN and RF EN low): 51µA
  • Idle (power LEDs enabled): 7.2mA (AVG)
  • Receive: 32.9mA
  • Transmit (full power, G8 pin high): 226mA
  • Transmit (reduced gain, G8 pin low): 170mA

Here is the data captured by Otii Arc when transmitting ARGOS 3 ZE data at full power:

And here is the current draw when transmitting ARGOS 3 ZE data at reduced power: