Systems and methods for capacitor activation of concrete sensors

A system, comprising:

• a sensor device configured to monitor one or more properties of a building material within which the sensor device is embedded,
• the sensor device comprising a capacitor configured to store electrical energy provided by an external power source, a power management subcircuit having an input electrically coupled to an output of the capacitor and an output electrically coupled to a power regulator,
• the power management subcircuit being configured to receive an activation signal from the external power source and, in response to the activation signal, to control discharge of the capacitor to the power regulator,
• the power regulator having an input electrically coupled to the output of the power management subcircuit and an output electrically coupled to a microcontroller unit, the power regulator being configured to provide regulated electrical power to the microcontroller unit,
• the microcontroller unit having a power input electrically coupled to the output of the power regulator,
• a first interface electrically coupled to one or more sensing components configured to measure the one or more properties of the building material,
• a second interface electrically coupled to a nonvolatile memory configured to store data representing the one or more properties of the building material as measured by the sensing components, and
• a third interface electrically coupled to communications circuitry configured to wirelessly transmit data representing the one or more properties to a computing device external to the building material,
• wherein, in response to the activation signal, the power management subcircuit is configured to discharge the capacitor to the power regulator.