CircuitDojo nRF9160 V5 - Issue with Vbatt > 5V

VanVuBUI

Hi everyone,

I’m experiencing an issue with the CircuitDojo nRF9160 V5 board. Specifically, when the voltage at the Vbatt pin exceeds 5V, the board occasionally hangs.

Could you help me understand why this might be happening and suggest any possible solutions?

Thank you in advance for your support!

Best regards,
Van Vu

jaredwolff

It hangs? I’ll need more information.

Is a fault occurring? Do you have log output?

VanVuBUI

Hi Jaredwolff,
I don’t have a log output to share since I currently deploy these nodes in the field. This issue occurs occasionally but not consistently.
I managed to address it by using a Zener diode to ensure the voltage level of the supercapacitors remains below 5V. However, I’m curious to understand why this issue arises in the first place.

Thank you for your insights!

Best regards,
Vu

jaredwolff

Do you have a schematic of the problematic design?

VanVuBUI I don’t have a log output to share since I currently deploy these nodes in the field. This issue occurs occasionally but not consistently.

How do you know it hangs?

VanVuBUI

Hi Jare,
I monitored the voltage levels of the power supply and noticed that whenever the voltage exceeded 5V, the node stopped transmitting data to the server. However, the issue was resolved by using a Zener diode to regulate the voltage, ensuring the power supply remained below 5V.

For context, I am using small solar panels (5.5V) to harvest energy and supercapacitors for energy storage.