Battery Saver - Operation

This article explains how the C06 Battery Saver works after it has been installed.

The Battery Saver is installed between the external battery or power supply and the C06. It monitors the supply voltage and can switch the power supply to the C06 on or off when needed.
The Battery Saver communicates with the C06 through Modbus. In this setup, the C06 is always the Modbus master and the Battery Saver is always the Modbus slave.
The C06 reads the measured voltage from the Battery Saver and determines which operating mode should be used.

Operating modes

The Battery Saver uses four operating modes.

Mode	When is it used?	What happens?
Permanent ON	The battery voltage is high enough	The C06 remains powered
Intermediate ON-OFF	The battery voltage is low, but not critical	The C06 is switched off temporarily and wakes up at intervals
Permanent OFF	The battery voltage is too low for regular wake-ups	The C06 remains switched off until the voltage recovers
Hibernate mode	The battery voltage is critically low	The Battery Saver switches off the C06 and uses as little power as possible

Permanent ON mode

Permanent ON is the normal operating mode.

In this mode, the battery voltage is high enough. The Battery Saver keeps the power supply to the C06 switched on so the C06 remains fully operational.
This mode is used when the supply voltage is above the configured WakeupVoltageThreshold.

Intermediate ON-OFF mode

Intermediate ON-OFF mode is used when the battery voltage has dropped, but is not yet critically low.

In this mode, the Battery Saver switches off the power supply to the C06 for a configured period.
After that period, the Battery Saver powers the C06 again. The C06 then checks the battery voltage and determines what should happen next.

If the voltage has recovered, the C06 can return to Permanent ON mode.
If the voltage is still too low, the C06 can instruct the Battery Saver to switch it off again.

This mode reduces power consumption while still allowing the C06 to wake up at regular intervals.

Permanent OFF mode

Permanent OFF mode is used when the battery voltage is too low for regular wake-ups.

In this mode, the Battery Saver switches off the power supply to the C06.
The Battery Saver remains active and keeps monitoring the battery voltage.
When the voltage rises above the configured WakeupVoltageThreshold, the Battery Saver can power the C06 again.
This prevents the C06 from repeatedly starting while the battery voltage is still too low.

Hibernate mode

Hibernate mode is used when the battery voltage is critically low.

This is the only mode where the Battery Saver can independently switch off the power supply to the C06. In the other modes, the C06 determines what the Battery Saver must do through Modbus communication.
When hibernate mode is active, the Battery Saver switches off the power supply to the C06 and reduces its own power consumption to less than 1 mA.
The hibernate voltage limits are fixed and cannot be changed through gateway metadata.

Because hysteresis is used, hibernate mode is activated and deactivated at different voltage levels. This prevents the Battery Saver from switching repeatedly when the battery voltage is close to the limit.

Hibernate mode	12 V system	24 V system
Minimum voltage where hibernate can be activated	11.3 V	22.5 V
Nominal voltage where hibernate is activated	11.5 V	22.9 V
Maximum voltage where hibernate can be activated	11.7 V	23.3 V
Minimum voltage where hibernate can be deactivated	11.8 V	23.5 V
Nominal voltage where hibernate is deactivated	12.1 V	24.0 V
Maximum voltage where hibernate can be deactivated	12.4 V	24.6 V

The Battery Saver only leaves hibernate mode when the battery voltage has recovered enough, for example after the battery has been charged again.

Cold crank protection

Some machines have a starter motor. During startup, the battery can be heavily loaded for a short time.

This can cause a temporary voltage drop. For example, in a 12 V system, the voltage can briefly drop to around 8 V.
The Battery Saver can ignore this short voltage drop for up to 8 seconds. This prevents the C06 from being switched off during a normal startup sequence.

If the voltage remains below the hibernate limit for more than 8 seconds, the Battery Saver switches off the power supply to the C06 and enters hibernate mode.

Settings controlled by gateway metadata

Hibernate mode uses fixed voltage limits. These limits cannot be changed in the portal.

The other operating modes are controlled by gateway metadata on the C06 gateway.

These metadata settings define:

when the C06 may stay powered;
when the C06 should be switched off temporarily;
when periodic wake-ups are allowed;
how long the voltage must remain low before action is taken;
how long the C06 stays off before it is powered again.

Setting	What it controls
WakeupVoltageThreshold	The voltage required to return to Permanent ON mode
DeepSleepVoltageThreshold	The voltage below which the C06 can enter Intermediate ON-OFF mode
PeriodicWakeupMinVoltage	The minimum voltage required for periodic wake-ups
DeepSleepDwellSeconds	How long the voltage must stay below the limit before action is taken
PeriodicWakeupIntervalMinutes	How long the C06 stays off before it is powered again

Example for a 12 V installation:

Setting	Example value
WakeupVoltageThreshold	13.2 V
DeepSleepVoltageThreshold	13.1 V
PeriodicWakeupMinVoltage	12.1 V
DeepSleepDwellSeconds	60 seconds
PeriodicWakeupIntervalMinutes	5 minutes

These values are examples. The correct values depend on the battery type, the installation and the expected behaviour.

Change the settings in gateway metadata

The Battery Saver settings are configured in the gateway metadata of the C06 gateway.

To change a setting:

Click Gateways in the navigation menu.
Open the gateway linked to the C06.
Open the Metadata tab.
Turn off Use default for the setting you want to change.
Enter the new value.
Save the changes.

If you cannot see the gateway, the Metadata tab or the Use default toggle, your user account may not have the required rights.
Ask the person who manages your Calculus portal to update the metadata, or contact Calculus Support.

Enter metadata values correctly
Use a dot as the decimal separator.
Use 12.3 not 12,3.
Boolean values must be entered in lowercase.
Use true or false
Do not use True, False, yes or no.
After changing metadata, the C06 may need some time before the new settings are applied.

Power consumption

The Battery Saver uses less power when it has switched off the power supply to the C06.

Mode	Consumption at 12 V	Consumption at 24 V
Operation mode	9 mA	4.5 mA
Low-power mode	1 mA or less	0.5 mA or less

Low-power mode applies when the Battery Saver has switched off the power supply to the C06 to reduce battery consumption.

Troubleshooting

If the Battery Saver does not behave as expected, check the items below.

Problem	What to check
The C06 does not start	Check the power connection, the Battery Saver LED and DIP switch 1
The C06 does not wake up	Check whether the battery voltage is above the WakeupVoltageThreshold and whether hibernate mode is still active
The C06 switches off too quickly	Check DeepSleepDwellSeconds and the battery voltage
The C06 wakes up too often or not often enough	Check PeriodicWakeupIntervalMinutes
Modbus communication does not work	Check the Modbus cable, baud rate and termination setting
The red LED keeps blinking	Check whether the Battery Saver voltage setting matches the connected power supply

If the issue remains, contact Calculus Support.

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