How long will a CR2032 last?

CR2032 capacity is approximately 230 mAh. At 10 microamp average current: 230e-3/10e-6 = 23,000 hours = 2.6 years. At 50 microamp: 4,600 hours = 6 months. Key factors: advertising/connection interval, TX power, payload size, and sensor measurement overhead. Self-discharge (~1%/year) also affects multi-year estimates.

What dominates BLE power?

The radio (TX/RX) dominates active power at 5-15 mA. Sleep current is 1-5 microamp. Average power is determined by duty cycle: how often and how long the radio is active. A 1 ms TX event every 1 second at 8 mA gives 8 microamp average. Sensor measurements, processing, and voltage regulator quiescent current add to the total.

How to minimize BLE power?

Maximize sleep time: use longest acceptable connection interval and maximum slave latency. Use 2M PHY to halve on-air time. Minimize payload size. Use DLE (Data Length Extension) to send more data per event. Batch sensor readings. Use system-off mode between events. Choose SoCs with sub-microamp sleep current.

Wireless Protocols

BLE Power Consumption

BLE Power Consumption is determined by the radio's duty cycle: the ratio of active time (TX/RX at 5-15 mA) to sleep time (1-5 μA). Average current for a typical IoT sensor ranges from 3 μA (1 s advertising interval) to over 1 mA (continuous connected streaming). A CR2032 coin cell (230 mAh) can power a BLE sensor for 2-5 years at optimized duty cycles. Key optimization levers: connection interval, slave latency, PHY selection, payload batching, and SoC sleep modes.

Category: Wireless Protocols

Battery: CR2032 (230 mAh)

Understanding BLE Power

BLE achieves ultra-low power by keeping the radio off most of the time. During a connection event or advertising event, the radio draws 5-15 mA for 0.3-2 ms. Between events, the SoC enters deep sleep at 1-5 μA. The average current is dominated by event frequency and duration.

Using 2M PHY halves on-air time per packet. Data Length Extension (DLE) allows 251-byte PDUs, sending more data per event and reducing the number of events needed. Slave latency lets the peripheral skip events when it has no data, further reducing wake-ups.

Battery Life Estimation

Average current:
I_avg = (I_active × t_active)/T + I_sleep

Battery life:
Life = C_battery / I_avg

Example: 1 s interval, 1 ms event, 8 mA, CR2032:
I_avg = 8×0.001/1 + 0.002 = 10 μA
Life = 230 mAh / 10 μA = 23,000 h = 2.6 yr

Power by Operating Mode

Mode	Current	Duration	CR2032 Life
TX (+0 dBm)	5-8 mA	0.3-2 ms/event	N/A (active)
RX	5-10 mA	0.3-1 ms/event	N/A (active)
Sleep	1-5 μA	Between events	5-26 yr (sleep only)
Adv 100 ms	~80 μA avg	Continuous	~4 months
Adv 1 s	~10 μA avg	Continuous	~2.6 years

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

CR2032 battery life?

230 mAh capacity. At 10 μA avg: 2.6 years. At 50 μA: 6 months. Self-discharge (~1%/yr) affects multi-year estimates.

What dominates power?

Radio TX/RX at 5-15 mA. Average power = duty cycle dependent. 1 ms event/1 s interval at 8 mA = 8 μA average.

How to minimize?

Longest CI, max slave latency, 2M PHY, DLE, batch readings, sub-μA sleep SoC.

Related Terms

← Periodic Advertising BLE Range →

IoT Power

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