Battery Checker
One to ten cells, up to 10 A
Published in issue 398, February 2010
A battery pack is only as strong as its weakest cell. This intelligent battery checker will determine the state of cells so that an optimal selection can be made from them to form a pack. It is essential to measure not only the capacity of the cells, but also their internal resistance.
Voltage range 0 V to 12 V (corresponding to 0 to 10 NiCd or NiMH cells)
Discharge current up to 10 A
Internal resistance measurement at the start of the discharge process (average of ten readings)
Constant current discharge with switch-over to constant voltage discharge
Display of set-point and actual values of voltage and current
Display of discharge time, total charge, internal resistance, heatsink temperature and fan speed
Controlled using four pushbuttons to set cell count, required discharge termination voltage and required discharge current
Calibration facility for A/D converter and current regulator PWM
Backlit 2-by-16 character LCD
Status LED
Heatsink temperature monitoring with fan control (proportional controller)
Serial interface to output values and to receive control messages
Maximum power dissipation 120 W (with special cooling), adjustable 40 W limit in software
Free download of software and printed circuit board layouts at 071131 |
Click below to download a PDF copy of this article from Elektor magazine. Please note. In view of the complexity of international markets, Elektor cannot guarantee the availability of components for this project.
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