Battery Management Chipset Reduces Component Counts

Designed for capacity monitoring and safety protection in Li-ion or Li-Polymer battery packs, the company's battery management chipset mates the bq2081 gas-gauge and bq29311 Li-ion protector ICs. The IC team is said to simplify designs and reduce the number of components required for a Li-ion, SBS-compatible battery fuel gauge and protection circuit by as much as 40% compared to other solutions on the market. The bq2081 includes a self-calibrating a/d converter with a resolution of better than 3 nVh and a calibrated measurement offset error of 1 µV typical. Serving as the cell protector, the bq29311 accepts input voltages up to 25V and provides a regulated 3.3V to the bq2081. The device also sources LED current and provides bias current for the temperature sense network. The bq2081 in a 38-pin TSSOP and the bq29311 in a 24-pin TSSOP are priced at $4.05 and $1.20, respectively, each/1,000. TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC., Santa Clarita, CA. (800) 477-8924.