February 19, 2009 - Micro Power Announces Battery Pack with Cell Balancing
February 19, 2009 - Micro Power announced the release of its first lithium-ion battery pack with integrated cell balancing capabilities. For larger lithium-ion battery packs, cell balancing extends battery life and system runtime, as well as improves the inherent safety of the battery pack.
The battery pack consists of 27 18650 lithium-ion cells, arranged in a nine series, three parallel configuration. The battery pack provides a nominal 33 Volts and has a 7.8 Amp-hour capacity. The battery pack is used to power untethered undersea sensors that collect seismic data from the ocean floor. This data is used by the oil and gas exploration industry. Long runtime and assured performance in the field are critical features of this battery pack.
The cell balancing technology moves energy dynamically from cell to cell with very high efficiency, and does not waste excess energy as heat during the energy transfer process. This ensures that a potentially weaker cell within a pack does not negatively affect the overall performance of the pack. The cell balancing occurs at every stage of battery operation; charging, discharging, quiescence and storage. For higher voltage battery packs, advantages of cell balancing include: increased duty cycles throughout the pack life (i.e. longer life), maximizing available capacity and ensuring uniform heat generation by the battery pack.
"Our customers are demanding higher-voltage battery packs using lithium-ion battery technology for their mission-critical applications. We recommend that any lithium-ion battery pack that exceeds 12 Volts take advantage of cell balancing technology," said Jeff VanZwol, Marketing Manager for Micro Power. "Micro Power's demonstrated experience with cell-balancing technology will ensure our battery packs provide maximum power throughout a much longer life cycle."
Micro Power will host a live webcast on building high-voltage battery packs with cell balancing technology on March 3, 2009. Registration for this webcast is at www.micro-power.com/cellbalancing. Speakers at this webcast will include Micro Power and Texas Instruments.
Micro Power Electronics supplies custom battery systems to the portable medical, automatic data collection, and commercial military markets. As a pioneer in the development of lithium battery systems, smart battery packs, chargers, docking stations, and power supplies, Micro Power has more than 20 years of experience developing battery solutions within its domestic and Asian production facilities. Micro Power is registered with the U.S. State Department for International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) programs and is ISO 13485 and 9001:2008 certified.
About Micro Power Electronics, Inc.
Micro Power Electronics, Inc. is ISO 13485 and 9001:2008 certified, as well as ITAR registered. Micro Power supplies custom battery systems to the portable medical, handheld Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) and commercial military markets. As a pioneer in the development of Lithium battery systems, smart battery packs, chargers, power supplies and docking stations, Micro Power has more than 20 years of experience developing battery solutions. With a proven track record of technical excellence, quality solutions and award-winning service, Micro Power has become the fastest growing supplier of custom battery systems in North America. For more information, please visit www.micro-power.com or call 800-576-6177.
The battery pack consists of 27 18650 lithium-ion cells, arranged in a nine series, three parallel configuration. The battery pack provides a nominal 33 Volts and has a 7.8 Amp-hour capacity. The battery pack is used to power untethered undersea sensors that collect seismic data from the ocean floor. This data is used by the oil and gas exploration industry. Long runtime and assured performance in the field are critical features of this battery pack.
The cell balancing technology moves energy dynamically from cell to cell with very high efficiency, and does not waste excess energy as heat during the energy transfer process. This ensures that a potentially weaker cell within a pack does not negatively affect the overall performance of the pack. The cell balancing occurs at every stage of battery operation; charging, discharging, quiescence and storage. For higher voltage battery packs, advantages of cell balancing include: increased duty cycles throughout the pack life (i.e. longer life), maximizing available capacity and ensuring uniform heat generation by the battery pack.
"Our customers are demanding higher-voltage battery packs using lithium-ion battery technology for their mission-critical applications. We recommend that any lithium-ion battery pack that exceeds 12 Volts take advantage of cell balancing technology," said Jeff VanZwol, Marketing Manager for Micro Power. "Micro Power's demonstrated experience with cell-balancing technology will ensure our battery packs provide maximum power throughout a much longer life cycle."
Micro Power will host a live webcast on building high-voltage battery packs with cell balancing technology on March 3, 2009. Registration for this webcast is at www.micro-power.com/cellbalancing. Speakers at this webcast will include Micro Power and Texas Instruments.
Micro Power Electronics supplies custom battery systems to the portable medical, automatic data collection, and commercial military markets. As a pioneer in the development of lithium battery systems, smart battery packs, chargers, docking stations, and power supplies, Micro Power has more than 20 years of experience developing battery solutions within its domestic and Asian production facilities. Micro Power is registered with the U.S. State Department for International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) programs and is ISO 13485 and 9001:2008 certified.
About Micro Power Electronics, Inc.
Micro Power Electronics, Inc. is ISO 13485 and 9001:2008 certified, as well as ITAR registered. Micro Power supplies custom battery systems to the portable medical, handheld Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) and commercial military markets. As a pioneer in the development of Lithium battery systems, smart battery packs, chargers, power supplies and docking stations, Micro Power has more than 20 years of experience developing battery solutions. With a proven track record of technical excellence, quality solutions and award-winning service, Micro Power has become the fastest growing supplier of custom battery systems in North America. For more information, please visit www.micro-power.com or call 800-576-6177.
