A field team faces an unresolved physical question: What does a ten-year coin-cell claim leave for each report? They must answer it before changing report interval on the real device. Predict the direction first.
See the relationship before changing it
The figure reads from left to right. The blue card is report interval. The middle card applies this page's relationship. The green card is wavelength. Walk the arrows once: set the input, apply the rule, then read the result with its unit.
The retained audit below checks several chapter fixtures. This added model holds every other chapter fixture fixed, so the numeric fixture does not switch without explanation.
Derive the baseline in four named moves
- 1
Name the input. The chapter baseline for report interval is 20.4.
- 2
Name the relationship. λ=3x10⁸/2.4x10⁹=0.125 m; λ/4=3.125 cm Qusable=220x0.99¹⁰x0.8=159.2 mAh Ibudget=159.2/(10x365x24)=1.82 uA Iwake budget=1.82-1.00=0.82 uA 70.6 reports/dayx0.05 s=3.53 s/day
- 3
Substitute the chapter fixture. Set report interval to 20.4. The page ledger gives wavelength as 12.50 cm.
- 4
Read the result. Keep cm beside the value. Use it only inside the technical boundary on this page.
Predict, then change report interval
Try Predict the direction of wavelength. Move one control, calculate, then check your prediction.
Observe The radio's small wavelength helps board cost; only the wake schedule helps the current budget. Reset the control to 20.4 and compare wavelength.
Explain Only report interval moves here. The other chapter fixtures remain fixed.
Check yourself
What should you do before trusting a moved-control result?
What does this small model leave out?
1. Start with the physical story
A short 2.4 GHz wavelength lets the antenna live on the PCB. The battery claim is harder: after calendar loss and reserve, sleep current consumes most of the allowed average before the radio wakes.
2. Name every algebra move
Find wavelengthDivide light speed by 2.4 GHz, then divide by four.
Retain chargeCompound 99% annual retention for ten years.
Reserve chargeKeep only 80% after derating.
Set current budgetDivide usable mAh by ten years of hours.
Count reportsDivide one day by the interval.
Price wakesConvert active seconds per day into average current, then add sleep.
3. Reproduce the chapter case
Qusable=220×0.99¹⁰×0.8=159.2 mAh
Ibudget=159.2/(10×365×24)=1.82 µA
Iwake budget=1.82−1.00=0.82 µA
70.6 reports/day×0.05 s=3.53 s/day
About one short report every 20.4 minutes spends the remaining wake allowance after the 1 microamp sleep floor.
4. Try one real input
TryMove report interval and watch awake current compete with the fixed sleep floor.
ObserveThe antenna numbers stay fixed while shorter intervals raise active average current and cut life.
ExplainThe radio's small wavelength helps board cost; only the wake schedule helps the current budget.
This is an ideal quarter-wave scale and fixed-current report model.
- Antenna
- PCB dielectric, ground plane, enclosure, matching, efficiency, certification, and hand or soil detuning change the design.
- Workload
- Sensor warm-up, processing, joining, retries, receive windows, OTA, and fault states add awake time.
- Battery
- Pulse resistance, cutoff, temperature, leakage, capacity spread, and annual retention vary.
Correct, not complete: this screen does not prove a sub-dollar BOM or ten-year field life.
5. Use the result in the design
Measure sleep and a complete report, then choose an interval that preserves reserve for retries, maintenance traffic, and worst-case cells.
6. Record the evidence state
Keep antenna geometry and match, enclosure, firmware, report payload and interval, current trace, cell part and lot, retention assumption, temperature, cutoff, retries, and OTA policy.
7. Check yourself
Why is the quarter-wave only 3.12 cm?
Where did the 1.82 microamp budget come from?
Does one report every 20.4 minutes guarantee ten years?
The arithmetic reproduces the chapter's 2.4 GHz, 220 mAh, ten-year sample-and-sleep screen.
- Antenna
- PCB dielectric, ground plane, enclosure, matching, efficiency, certification, and hand or soil detuning change the design.
- Workload
- Sensor warm-up, processing, joining, retries, receive windows, OTA, and fault states add awake time.
- Battery
- Pulse resistance, cutoff, temperature, leakage, capacity spread, and annual retention vary.
Correct, not complete: this screen does not prove a sub-dollar BOM or ten-year field life.
Battery Bruno guides