CHARGERS

Products

In the ever-changing world of rechargeable batteries, the charger integration is as important as the battery chemistry selection.

A poorly designed charger can make even the most well thought out battery pack fail prematurely.

It is important to know the characteristics of the battery's chemistry, as well as take into consideration the application requirements.

A charger that works well with any given chemistry in an application scenario may not work equally as well in another scenario.

NiMH/NiCd

Advantages	Disadvantages
No danger of catastrophic failure due to overcharge. Relatively simple to design due to level of knowledge of chemistries.	NiMH-Exothermic during charge, fast charge needs to be great enough to force active termination characteristics, MCU needs many A/D inputs.

Li-Ion/Li-Poly

Advantages	Disadvantages
Very simple charge algorithm, no need for elaborate termination techniques. It closely resembles the charge of Lead Acid.	Overcharging can cause catastrophic damage to the cell causing the battery to vent with flame. Cannot be charged as fast as Nickel based chem.

LiFePO4

Advantages	Disadvantages
Very simple charge algorithm, no need for elaborate termination techniques. It closely resembles the charge of Lead Acid. Is able to be charged very fast.	New technology and very limited in “off the shelf” charge IC’s.

Typical Charger Types By Battery Chemistry
Li-Ion	CC/CV to 4.2-4.25V
NiMH	Constant Current, Pulsed Current
NiCd	Constant Current, Pulsed Current
Lithium Polymer	CC/CV to 4.2-4.25V
LiFePO4	CC/CV to 3.65V

Chargers

Integral part of your power solution.