Power: Component
Description
A power component is a simple object that can be added to a power network. It enables custom functionality of power draw from a power network without needing to implement complicated simulation code. Many configured power-network components inherit from this class, but this can be used by a user to define custom-controlled code for defining how the voltage and power flow from a battery source.
Example Use Cases
- Custom Power: Creating a custom power component for particular hardware or sensor nodes on a spacecraft
Module Implementation
Each power component is able to adjust the Resistance, measured in Ohms, the Voltage, measured in Volts, and the Current, measured in Amps, of the component. The Power of the component is always calculated and cannot be manually changed. It is calculated using the Power Law:
where \(P\) is the power in Watts, \(V\) is the voltage and \(I\) is the current.
Internal Components
Internally, the component itself only consists of a resistor. The resistor has its resistance set and updated every frame to the desired resistance of the component or of the power model. The minimum resistance is 1pΩ (\(10^{-12} \Omega\)).
Assumptions/Limitations
- It is assumed that when using the base power component, the resistance values are being manipulated to calculated the current and voltage draw for the component in the network.