Abstract
This paper describes TurboCap, a batteryless, supercapacitor-based power supply subsystem for a handheld, laser-based breast cancer detector named the Mini-FDPM. Supercapacitors have high power density and are a better match with the power usage pattern than batteries. However, the multivoltage requirement poses a new problem on the selection of supercapacitor topology for conversion efficiency and for formfactor minimization. Experimental results show that our design can efficiently power the Mini-FDPM system for energy-efficient, untethered operation in a compact size while supporting fast recharge. I