The Intersil ISL94203 3-to-8 cell battery pack monitor supports lithium-ion (Li-ion) and other battery chemistries used in medical mobility carts, wheelchairs, e-bikes, handheld power tools, vacuum cleaners and solar or renewable energy storage systems. The device accurately monitors, protects and cell balances rechargeable battery packs to maximize battery life and ensure safe charging and system operation.
The ISL94203 battery pack monitor protects and extends Li-ion batteries. Source: IntersilOEMs are moving away from nickel-cadmium and lead-acid batteries and toward environmentally friendly Li-ion battery chemistries. Smaller, lighter and with a longer battery life, they still require monitoring and protection for safe use. The ISL94203 functions as a stand-alone battery management system for rechargeable Li-ion battery packs.
The device’s internal state machine features five pre-programmed stages that accurately control each cell of a battery pack to extend operating life. The ISL94203 integrates high-side charge/discharge FET drive circuitry, which allows customers to securely ground reference the battery pack to their designs. It also includes several programmable protection and monitoring features to safeguard battery packs from catastrophic events such as short circuit conditions and cell voltage shorts. It has an open wire check to ensure the IC is securely connected to the battery pack. The device also has a special protection feature that blows a polyfuse to render the battery pack inoperable in the event of a catastrophic failure. In addition to delivering diagnostic information, the ISL94203 can withstand battery pack hot plug events and support the full range of Li-ion chemistries.
The ISL94203 battery pack monitor is available now through Intersil’s worldwide network of authorized distributors. Housed in a 6mm x 6mm, 48-lead TQFN package, it is priced at $2.19 USD in 1k quantities.
An ISL94203EVKIT1Z evaluation kit is priced at $328 USD. It includes an evaluation board, interface board with USB to I2C interface and software GUI that supports stand-alone operation or an external microcontroller.
Questions or comments on this story? Contact engineering360editors@ihs.com
Related link:
