Charted as the smallest, full-featured battery fuel gauge, the bq3060 debuts in a 24-pin TSSOP measuring 7.8 mm x 6.4 mm. Groomed for lithium-based cells, the device turns a battery into a smart battery that measures and maintains a record of available capacity, voltage, current, temperature, and other critical parameters. The chip also provides authentication as well as short-circuit and discharge protection. Other features include advanced compensated end-of-discharge voltage gauging, a low-power consumption mode that reduces current to below 69 µA, SHA-1 authentication, and support for a two-wire SMBus 1.1 interface with a 400-kHz programming option. Price for the bq3060 is $3.55 each/1,000. TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC., Dallas, TX. (800) 477-8924.
