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Average power consumption by VOXL2

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  • Jetson NanoJ Offline
    Jetson NanoJ Offline
    Jetson Nano
    Veteran
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    I just wanted to know what is the average power consumption of VOXL2 board on the ground when the image sensors are connected. @James-Strawson @Alex-Kushleyev @modaltb @Vinny

    Thanks in advance.

    VinnyV 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

      I just wanted to know what is the average power consumption of VOXL2 board on the ground when the image sensors are connected. @James-Strawson @Alex-Kushleyev @modaltb @Vinny

      Thanks in advance.

      VinnyV Offline
      VinnyV Offline
      Vinny
      ModalAI Team
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      Hi @Jetson-Nano
      It's a fair question, but the answer is not simple. It depends....
      Maybe we can be better about publishing some known standard configs running some standard routines to provide some baselines. However, each user may implement more or less features of the VOXL 2 impacting total current peaks and averages.
      For example, we know very light loaded scenarios like simple tracking and running some comms may only be about 1/2-3/4 watt, but some more intense use cases like AI/TensorFlow, Multiple Video Streams, complex processing, etc can pull upwards of 4-5W.
      We also see 6-7W as a sort of top-end thermal limit at which point the VOXL 2 will throttle back to keep temps under control.

      If you can share your configuration, I can ask our SW team if they can quickly profile it for you, but it is not that hard to run VOXL 2 independently using a power supply (not with motors, or not armed if you do have motors) and read the current value from your supply.

      Thanks!

      Jetson NanoJ 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • VinnyV Vinny

        Hi @Jetson-Nano
        It's a fair question, but the answer is not simple. It depends....
        Maybe we can be better about publishing some known standard configs running some standard routines to provide some baselines. However, each user may implement more or less features of the VOXL 2 impacting total current peaks and averages.
        For example, we know very light loaded scenarios like simple tracking and running some comms may only be about 1/2-3/4 watt, but some more intense use cases like AI/TensorFlow, Multiple Video Streams, complex processing, etc can pull upwards of 4-5W.
        We also see 6-7W as a sort of top-end thermal limit at which point the VOXL 2 will throttle back to keep temps under control.

        If you can share your configuration, I can ask our SW team if they can quickly profile it for you, but it is not that hard to run VOXL 2 independently using a power supply (not with motors, or not armed if you do have motors) and read the current value from your supply.

        Thanks!

        Jetson NanoJ Offline
        Jetson NanoJ Offline
        Jetson Nano
        Veteran
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        @Vinny My config is the that old starling config (1 Tracking, 1 ToF, 1 HighRes), and I am running people detection on board.

        Alex KushleyevA 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

          @Vinny My config is the that old starling config (1 Tracking, 1 ToF, 1 HighRes), and I am running people detection on board.

          Alex KushleyevA Offline
          Alex KushleyevA Offline
          Alex Kushleyev
          ModalAI Team
          wrote on last edited by Alex Kushleyev
          #4

          @Jetson-Nano , as Vinny mentioned, it is very difficult to tell you the average power consumption (even knowing the type of cameras that you are using) because a lot also depends on additional factors, such as what fps and resolution the cameras are running at, what processing you are running on those images, etc.

          Also, since you are using ToF sensor, the sensor's power consumption will vary depending on the environment, because the sensor automatically regulates the amount of IR light that it emits based on the proximity and type of objects.

          I would strongly suggest that you perform your own testing, you could use a power supply to measure the power consumption of VOXL2 + sensors on the bench. You can set up several tests with different components enabled and document how much power is used in different scenarios. However, please keep in mind that using ToF can lead to varying power consumption (if environment changes), as I mentioned before, so that could throw off your analysis.

          Alex

          Jetson NanoJ 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • Alex KushleyevA Alex Kushleyev

            @Jetson-Nano , as Vinny mentioned, it is very difficult to tell you the average power consumption (even knowing the type of cameras that you are using) because a lot also depends on additional factors, such as what fps and resolution the cameras are running at, what processing you are running on those images, etc.

            Also, since you are using ToF sensor, the sensor's power consumption will vary depending on the environment, because the sensor automatically regulates the amount of IR light that it emits based on the proximity and type of objects.

            I would strongly suggest that you perform your own testing, you could use a power supply to measure the power consumption of VOXL2 + sensors on the bench. You can set up several tests with different components enabled and document how much power is used in different scenarios. However, please keep in mind that using ToF can lead to varying power consumption (if environment changes), as I mentioned before, so that could throw off your analysis.

            Alex

            Jetson NanoJ Offline
            Jetson NanoJ Offline
            Jetson Nano
            Veteran
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            @Alex-Kushleyev Can I use the voxl-inspect-power service to check the power consumption and do tests in different environment or should I use a different method?

            Alex KushleyevA 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

              @Alex-Kushleyev Can I use the voxl-inspect-power service to check the power consumption and do tests in different environment or should I use a different method?

              Alex KushleyevA Offline
              Alex KushleyevA Offline
              Alex Kushleyev
              ModalAI Team
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              @Jetson-Nano , the APM should provide a pretty accurate measurement of the power draw (it should be within 5% accurate (but should be consistent) -- it is not a calibrated measurement, so don't expect super high accuracy). If PX4 is running, the battery voltage and current is published, so you can use that.

              For sanity checking, i would also recommend to use a bench top power supply which shows you the current draw - you can use this as a second measurement.

              Alex

              Jetson NanoJ 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • Alex KushleyevA Alex Kushleyev

                @Jetson-Nano , the APM should provide a pretty accurate measurement of the power draw (it should be within 5% accurate (but should be consistent) -- it is not a calibrated measurement, so don't expect super high accuracy). If PX4 is running, the battery voltage and current is published, so you can use that.

                For sanity checking, i would also recommend to use a bench top power supply which shows you the current draw - you can use this as a second measurement.

                Alex

                Jetson NanoJ Offline
                Jetson NanoJ Offline
                Jetson Nano
                Veteran
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                @Alex-Kushleyev @Vinny Thank you for your response. I'll test it.

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