Monitor Extends Li-Ion Battery Life

Promising to boost li-ion battery pack lifetime, energy delivery, and system safety, the stackable bq76PL536 battery monitor, balancer, and protector integrates ADCs for independent cell voltage and temperature protection, cell balancing, and isolated chip-to-chip communication. Stackable to monitor up to 192 cells without additional isolation components between ICs, the device intelligently measures battery cell voltages to ±1-mV accuracy and also provides full secondary protection for over-voltage, under-voltage, and over-temperature conditions. No external components are necessary to configure or enable the protection features. Available in a 64-pin HTQFP, pricing is $4.30 each/1,000. TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC., Dallas, TX. (800) 477-8924.