Programmable Chip Extends Li-Ion Battery Pack Run Time

Jan. 1, 2000

Mixed signal and EEPROM technologies have been combined to produce a chip that extends the run time and life of 3- or 4-cell Li-Ion battery packs by keeping the voltages on the battery cells balanced during the charging process. X3100 chip, working in tandem with a µC, provides uniformly charged cells, which store the maximum amount of energy and achieve longer run times than non-uniformly charged cells. The full charges also keep each cell operating at peak efficiency, extending overall battery life.On-chip is 4 Kbits of EEPROM that can be used to store critical battery system data, such as the amount of battery power left and charging/discharging algorithms. It can also be used as the µC’s general-purpose nonvolatile storage. Other X3100 battery chip features include the ability to provide inputs to a separate µC for implementing a software gas gauge, programmable over/under voltage protection circuitry, and an accurate voltage regulator with outputs of 5V ±0.5% for driving up to 250 mA of current. The chip comes in 28-pin TSSOPs and SSOPs.

About the Author

Staff

Articles, galleries, and recent work by members of Electronic Design's editorial staff.

Sponsored Recommendations

Comments

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Electronic Design, create an account today!