Compare Power Requirements
Overview
Products in the Ground Control range fall into the following categories in terms of their power supply requirements.
| Product | Primary - Option 1 | Primary - Option 2 | Secondary power source | More Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RockSTAR | Internal 5300mAh LiPo battery | N/A - Handheld unit | 5V Mini USB combined charge+power 800mA max | Details |
| RockSTAR BURST | Internal 5300mAh LiPo battery | N/A - Handheld unit | 5V Mini USB combined charge+power 1100mA max | Details |
| RockAIR | 9-30V DC external | 5V Micro USB combined charge+power 800mA max | Internal 1850mAh LiPo battery | Details |
| RockFLEET | 9-30V DC external | N/A | Internal 1850mAh LiPo battery | Details |
| RockBLOCK 9602 | 4.5-5.4V DC external | N/A | N/A | Details |
| RockBLOCK 9603 | 3-5.4V DC external | Diode protected battery terminal 3.7-4.2V DC | N/A | Details |
| RockBLOCK Plus | 9-30V DC external | N/A | N/A | Details |
| RockBLOCK Sense Switch | 9-30V DC external | N/A | Internal 1850mAh LiPo battery | Details |
| RockBLOCK 9704 | 4-5.3V DC external | Diode protected battery terminal 3.6-4.5V DC | 5V USB-C | Details |
| RockBLOCK PRO | 5-30V DC external | 5V USB-C | N/A | Details |
| RockREMOTE | 9-30V DC external | N/A | N/A | Details |
| RockREMOTE Mini | 9-30V DC external | Power Over Ethernet Plus (POE+) | N/A | Details |
Power consumption
Many of our products can accept a wide range of supply voltages. They all have switching regulators so when power consumption is quoted in Watts it will remain similar across the voltage range.
With our tracking and sense/switch products the power management strategies have been optimised to ensure maximum efficiency for the various configurations such as reporting frequency and cellular/Iridium transmission profiles.
| Product | Inrush Current | Peak during Iridium transmit | Maximum/Active | Idle | Sleep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RockSTAR | Limited to 1100mA | Delivered by internal battery | 5.5W while charging (eg 1100mA @5V) | Internal variable see Battery Life | Internally optimised |
| RockSTAR STL | Limited to 1100mA | Delivered by internal battery | 5.5W while charging (eg 1100mA @5V) | Internal variable see Battery Life STL | Internally optimised |
| RockSTAR BURST | Limited to 1100mA | Delivered by internal battery | 5.5W while charging (eg 1100mA @5V) | Internal variable see Battery Life BURST | Internally optimised |
| RockAIR | Limited to 800mA for external and USB | Delivered by internal battery | 7.8W while charging (eg 650mA @12V) | 360mW | Sleep managed internally during idle. |
| RockFLEET | Limited to 800mA | Delivered by internal battery | 9W during SBD transmit (eg 700mA @12V) | 360mW | Sleep managed internally during idle. |
| RockBLOCK 9602 | 0.78A | Delivered by super caps | 2.5W (eg 470mA @5.4V) | 300mW (60mA @5V) | 1mW (200uA @5V) |
| RockBLOCK 9603 | 1.24A | Delivered by super caps | 2.5W (eg 470mA @5.4V) | 270mW (50mA @5.4V) | 0.5mW (100uA @5.4V) |
| RockBLOCK Plus | Less than 300mA | Delivered by super caps | 6.75W (eg 225mA @30V) | Awaiting data | 23uA at 10V, 84uA at 30V |
| RockBLOCK Sense Switch | Limited to 800mA | Delivered by internal battery | 9W during SBD transmit (eg 700mA @12V) | 360mW | Sleep managed internally during idle. |
| RockBLOCK 9704 | Limited to 500mA | Delivered by super caps | 1.4W | 60mW (85mW if GNSS pass through enabled) | 5mW |
| RockBLOCK PRO | Limited to 600mA across the voltage range | Delivered by super caps | 2.5W (eg 210mA @12V) | 200mW | 75mW |
| RockREMOTE | ~8.4A @ 10V, 23A @ 20V, 32A @ 27V | 22W 2.2A @10V 0.73A @30V | 9W 0.9A @10V 0.3A @30V | 5W | 200mW |
| RockREMOTE Mini | Awaiting data | 20W 2A @10V 0.67A @30V | 7.25W 0.73A @10V 0.24A @30V | 300mW | 36mW/75mW (12V/24V) |
Definitions
Inrush Current - the brief current pulse that may occur when a voltage supply is first applied. We use a 1F capacitor with 90mohm source when carrying out inrush measurements.
Peak during Iridium transmit - Iridium transmissions occur as short bursts. For example the 9770 modem in the RockREMOTE range transmits a 8.27ms burst every 90ms during data exchanges with the satellites. During these short bursts current demands on the supply can be quite high and the external power supply should be specified with this in mind. In most products this is delivered by an internal battery or super capacitors.
Maximum/Active - For products fitted with a battery this is the combined consumption of simultaneous charging and RF transmission.
Idle - Periods inbetween transmissions when the unit is ready to receive messages.
Sleep - Condition when either the device has been commanded to sleep or move to the deactivated condition. In many cases products are able to put part of their circuitry into sleep modes in order to extend battery life. Duration of sleep periods will be dependent on device settings such as tracking frequency.