New Industry Products

PowerSmart Intros PS3000 Family

June 20, 1999 by Jeff Shepard

PowerSmart Inc. (Shelton, CT) introduced the new PS3000 family of programmable fuel gauge modules designed to enhance the reliability and runtime of smart lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride packs by providing more accurate battery data than conventional fuel gauge monitoring circuits. The new modules are fully SBS compliant and contain all SBS functionality on a single printed circuit board for simple integration into battery packs containing two to four li-ion cells or six to 10 NiMH or NiCd cells. The modules combine the PowerSmart P3 smart battery IC, a serial EEPROM, and all necessary supporting components for a turnkey smart battery solution. The PS3000 performs precise measurements of discharge and charge current, voltage and temperature and accurately calculates remaining capacity to within 1 percent. Critical information about the battery's state of charge and health are communicated to the host device via an SMBus/12C interface. The module can be preprogrammed for use with either NiMH or various li-ion cell chemistries. With PowerSmart supplied software, the modules and control parameters can be completely customized to user specifications. The modules are small printed circuit boards measuring 8.5mm x 64 mm and can be integrated into battery packs using just four external cell string connections. In li-ion applications, they can be used with either high-side or low-side safety electronics mounted on a separate board as specified by cell manufacturers. PowerSmart's fuel gauge modules are supplied with or without a switch, LED display and 5-pin, self-cleaning advanced battery connector. Fuel gauge circuits, with integrated safety electronics, are also available for use in Li-ion batteries. Pricing is under $10 in OEM quantities.