a
ONE TECHNOLOGY WAY
AN-378
APPLICATION NOTE
• P.O. BOX 9106 • NORWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS 02062-9106 • 617/329-4700
Reducing the Average Power Consumption of Accelerometers
by Charles Kitchin, Mike Shuster and Bob Briano
The use of a simple power cycling circuit provides a dramatic reduction in the average current consumption of
the ADXL50 and ADXL05 devices. In low bandwidth
applications such as shipping recorders, a simple, low
cost circuit can provide substantial power reduction. If a
microprocessor is available, only the circuit of Figure 1
is needed; the microprocessor supplies a TTL clock
pulse to gate buffer transistor Q2, which c ycles the supply
voltage on and off. Figures 2 through 4 show typical
wave forms of the accelerometer being operated with a
10% duty cycle: 1 ms on, 9 ms off. This reduces the average current consumption of the accelerometer from 10
mA to 1 mA, providing a power reduction of 90%.
The lower trace of Figures 2 and 3 is the output voltage
appearing at V PR (Pin 8). The lower trace of Figure 4 is
the buffer output (Pin 9) with the buffer operating at
unity gain. A 0.01 µF capacitor was connected across
the feedback resistor of the buffer to improve its
transient characteristics. The optimum value for this
capacitor will change with buffer gain and the cycling
pulse rate. The µP should sample acceleration during
the interval between the time the 0 g level has stabilized
(approximately 400 µs using a 0.022 µF demod cap) and
the end of the pulse duration. For the example shown in
Figures 2 through 4, this is between 400 µs and 1 ms
after Q2 receives a logic “low” from the µP.
+5V
0.1µF
100kΩ
BUFFER
10kΩ
FROM
Q1 OR µP
10kΩ
Q1
2N3906
Q2
2N2222
1
ADXL05
OR
ADXL50
+5V
COM
VPR
VIN–
5
8
10
R1
0.1µF
100kΩ
VOUT
9
R3
CF
VOUT
BUFFER
10kΩ
FROM
Q1 OR µP
10kΩ
Q1
2N3906
Figure 2. Top Trace: Voltage at Pin 1
Bottom Trace: Output at VPR
Q2
2N2222
1
2V
ADXL05
OR
ADXL50
COM
VPR
5
8
100
90
VIN–
VOUT
10
R1
200µs
9
R3
CF
10
VOUT
0%
1V
Figure 1. Basic Power Cycling Circuit
Figure 3. Top Trace: Voltage at Pin 1
Bottom Trace: Output at VPR
The measurement bandwidth of a power-cycled circuit
will be set by the clock pulse rate and duty cycle. In this
example, 1 sample can be taken every 10 ms which is 100
samples per second or 100 Hz. As defined by the “Nyquist
criteria,” the best case measurement bandwidth is F S/2 or
half the c lock frequency. Therefore, 50 Hz signals can be
processed if adequate digital filtering is provided. Higher
measurement bandwidths can be achieved by reducing
the size of the demodulation capacitor below 0.022 µF and
increasing the pulse frequency.
200µs
100
90
10
0%
Figure 5 is a low cost timer circuit for applications not
using a µP. The timer frequency can be changed by using
different values for capacitors C1 and C2. The duty cycle is
set by trim potentiometer R2b. Transistor Q1 inverts the
output pulse of the 555 timer so that the duty cycle is
correct when the pulse is reinverted again by buffer
transistor, Q2. The timer/inverter circuit adds about 700 µA
to the total supply current.
500mV
Figure 4. Top Trace: Voltage at Pin 1
Bottom Trace: Buffer Output
with R1 = R3 = 100 kΩ, CF = 0.01 µ F
E1894a–9–3/95
2V
+5V
0.1µF
R1
10kΩ
4, 8
7
IN4148
LOW POWER
CMOS TIMER
R2a
30kΩ
IN4148
L555
XR-L555
ICM-7555
R2b
100kΩ
3
TO Q2
2, 6
C1
0.1µF
C2
0.022µF
1
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
Figure 5. Timer/Inverter Circuit Duty Cycle Range 1:4 to 1:13
–2–