Supercapacitor NODKA for protection and short-term power backup of 12V and 24V industrial electronics

The Nodka NP-6310-A-R is a DIN rail mounted industrial supercapacitor module that can protect your industrial computer, monitor or PLC control system from 12/24VDC power fluctuations and outages. The module consists of four supercapacitors and an intelligent power management system. It offers reliable power to the end system and automatic and manual control of starting and shutting down of connected appliances. The supercapacitor allows the configuration of many features, either via a rotary switch on the module or via the UPS Manager software application.

Supercapacitor settings

The supercapacitor can be set up and used via Modbus communication or the 10-stage rotary switch Tmax[sec] or Imin[A] on the front of the device. Depending on the application in the system, you can choose between time-limited operation or load current threshold operation.

• Time limited mode is used to set the duration of the DC OUT output power supply after the DC IN input power supply is lost. If the supercapacitor supplies power to the connected device on DC OUT for longer than the time set by the switch, the DC OUT output will stop. The options are 5-20seconds and infinity, i.e. until the capacitors are discharged.
• Load current threshold mode is used to detect when the connected device is switched off. When DC IN is disconnected, the power of the supercapacitors is lower than the power of DC_IN.  When the load current is less than or equal to 0.5 A, the supercapacitor turns off and stops.
• The PC mode is used to set the custom logic of the supercapacitor behavior using Modbus registers.

Demonstration of connecting the NODKA NP-6310 supercapacitor to the industrial computer NODKA NP-6118

Main features

• Industrial supercapacitor for voltage protection of connected devices, plus intelligent power management, switching off and on of devices,
• Automatic detection of 12V or 24V,
• Signal outputs for device statuses,
• The intelligent voltage backup sends a signal to the powered equipment for timely and safe shutdown,
• Real-time monitoring of DC_IN status,
• Power input protection against overvoltage and polarity reversal,
• Output protection against short circuit and overcurrent,
• Modbus RTU protocol can read out device status data, Ideal data source for Condition monitoring systems

Comparing Supercapacitors and Batteries in UPS Systems

Advantages of Supercapacitors

Fast charging and discharging with high performance
Supercapacitors take much less time to charge and release energy just as quickly. Supercapacitors have a much greater energy density than batteries, up to 100 times greater. The higher energy density allows them to be more compact in size, yet still powerful. The NODKA NP-6310-A-R supercapacitor supplies 12V/24V DC with up to 12A of current draw and provides 12/24V DC with max 9A of current output.

Longer life cycle
Supercapacitors have a much longer lifetime compared to batteries, up to 15 years, because they have 500 thousand to 1 million cycles. The NODKA NP-6310-A supercapacitor guarantees up to 500,000 charge cycles. Compared to batteries, which typically have a 5 to 10 year lifespan (and this number decreases to 4 to 8 years when the battery is fully utilized), supercapacitors have a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Durability
Supercapacitors tolerate frequent use without significant degradation compared to batteries that require routine maintenance in addition to battery maintenance systems.

Operation at wider operating temperature
Batteries require an operating temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius. Every 10 degrees above the required temperature reduces the battery life by half. Supercapacitors are not as sensitive to temperature fluctuations and can operate over a wide range of temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius without deterioration, making them a suitable choice for harsh environments and environments without the additional cost embedded in cooling systems. The NODKA NP-6310-A-R supercapacitor operates at an operating temperature of -20 to 65℃.

Reducing waste and environmental damage
Toxic, corrosive and flammable materials are used in the manufacture of batteries that contain one or more of the following elements: cadmium, lead, zinc, manganese, nickel, silver, mercury and lithium. When improperly disposed of in landfills, they pollute the environment and become an unsustainable solution. Supercapacitors, on the other hand, do not use toxic materials and would reduce disposal costs in the long run.

Disadvantages of Supercapacitors

Although supercapacitors have many advantages over batteries, batteries have one significant advantage in that they have a specific energy density that allows them to store energy longer and release it for longer periods of time, making them a more reliable and stable source of energy. Another disadvantage of using supercapacitors is their higher initial cost; they are more expensive than lead-acid batteries due to the high cost of materials needed to make the capacitors, such as carbon and graphene for the electrodes. 

UPS Manager SW application

We offer a downloadable UPS manager program that you install on your computer and connect your computer to the Supercapacitator via the RS232/485 serial port. The UPS manager program will show the current status of the device and the state of charge of the supercapacitors. If the UPS Manager program is installed on the computer behind the NP-6310 capacitor and is online all the time, it will automatically shut down the computer when it detects a power failure at the capacitor input. Conversely, when power is restored, the UPS Manager can run a script, such as shutdown.bat, on the connected computer to ensure that the computer starts up properly after a previous power failure.

Another option is to look at more detailed data and settings via Option - Config. All settings or data can also be read out using MODBUS RTU.