The Arduino MKR NB 1500 board requires a constant ~3.3V power source to operate, common boards usually have a micro-usb input port, just as this one does. Since H2OSupport will operate in remote locations (places where it will not be close to a power source), the device has to be powered by a portable battery. Also, most of the sensors require ~5.0V to operate correctly, so the battery has to be able to provide that, or more.
Without needing to discuss all the different specifications of the battery, the one I decided to choose for this project is the CONXWAN 26800mAh, 18W Portable Battery [1]. A full recharge is around five hours. Since H2OSupport will be able to turn itself off when the device doesn’t need to be operating, H2OSupport’s battery life will be extremely long, a couple weeks or even months, depending on how often the device will be used. The different ports on top of the battery dish out different voltages: 5.0V, 9.0V and 12.0V. H2OSupport will probably use the 5.0V or 9.0V port, or maybe both, depending on what power usage looks like, which is too complicated to determine right now. The battery’s dimensions are ~15 x 7.4 x 2.3cm.
Since the battery has a LED digital display that shows its current charge, it will be easy to know when H2OSupport needs to be recharged. A small window on the final device’s surface will be useful to view the charge of the battery inside.
Sources
[1] Amazon, “Portable Charger 26800mAh Ultra High Capacity 18W PD USB C Power Bank QC 3.0 External Battery Pack with 4 Outputs and LCD Display for iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, MacBook and More”, Amazon Store Canada [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B08729Z2JX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
H2OSupport 