What is an ‘Always On’ battery?

What is an ‘Always On’ battery?

Almost all battery packs and power banks shut off when there is no current draw. Always On means that the output of the battery or power bank does not shut off after a set amount of time. If the connected device is fully charged or is drawing low  current the Always On battery will not shut off. It stays on.

Why would I need an ‘Always On’ battery?

Even though you might not realise it, there are a lot of times when you want to prevent an external battery or power bank from shutting off.

For example, our Back-Bone modified GoPro cameras are used for a lot of long term filming applications. Typically a GoPro battery will last for 2 hours but an external Voltaic V50 battery can extend this operation time by ten times.  The external battery is connected to the GoPro’s USB port and will charge the camera battery while in operation.
Once the internal battery is charged a conventional power bank would detect the low current and turn off.  After this the internal battery will slowly run down and eventually the camera will turn off.
A battery featuring the ‘Always On’ function will always be there to top up the internal battery power.

Similarly, with an Always On battery, you can power IoT devices sensors, GPS tracking devices, perform time-lapse photography for long periods of time.  You can also run Arduino and Raspberry Pi microcontrollers and their peripherals.

If you want to power a device over several days, weeks, or months without human intervention, then purchasing Voltaic Systems batteries with the Always On capability is a good consideration.

What ‘Always On’ batteries are available from SeeSense?

SeeSense are an official European distributer for Voltaic Systems V25, V50 and V75 batteries.  All three feature this unique ‘Always On’ capability.

• V25   6,700 mAH / 24.12 WH
• V50 13,400 mAH / 48.24 WH
• V75  20,100 mAH / 72.36 WH

Each of these batteries feature two USB-A output ports with a mechanical switch that switches the battery into Always On mode. Removing the cable returns the battery into Auto Off mode.

There is also a third output port; a 20W USB-C Power Delivery (PD) connection. 

A lot of new personal phones, tablets, smart watches and Kindles are compatible for PD charging so this is a further benefit of these batteries.

Other Voltaic Battery Features

Pass Through Charging
These batteries also include a Pass Through charging feature on both USB-C ports (side and end between the USB-A output ports) whereby it can be charged whilst powering other devices.
N.B. If you are using the ‘Always On’ feature then the side USB-C connector is used for charging the Voltaic battery.  The end USB-C port will disable the Always On function to the adjacent USB-A connectors.

Reading Battery Charge Level

It is also possible to read the charge level of Voltaic using the USB-C port between the two USB-A ports. Please CONTACT US for details of this and if you have any other questions.

Updated Batteries
These Voltaic Systems batteries are currently undergoing an upgrade and will now include a stronger extruded aluminium housing.  Other new features are included so watch this space . . . 

Please CONTACT US for further details and if you have any other questions.