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Battery Emulation Circuit Speeds Charger Testing

by Alfredo H. Saab, Applications Engineering Manager, and Shasta Thomas, Applications Engineer, Maxim Integrated Products, Sunnyvale, Calif. , Power Electronics Technology, May 01 2008

Focus:
A battery emulation circuit built around a shunt regulator, a pair of bipolar transistors, a dual op amp, and various discrete components serves as an artificial load (an alternative to batteries) that can be used to test the dc response and dynamic stability of Li-ion battery chargers. This circuit, which emulates a single Li-ion cell, enables much faster testing of chargers than if an actual battery was used, while also testing the charger across its full range of operation. This battery emulator creates a load that would be difficult to reproduce using standard bench loads. Operation of this circuit is described in detail with example measurements. Article begins by discussing a Li-ion battery’s charge requirements and the requirements for a battery-modeled load.

What you’ll learn:

Notes:
Maxim republished this material on its website in Application Note/Reference Design 4322 “Simplified Lithium-Ion (Li+) Battery-Charger Testing,” where visitors posted various comments and questions about this battery emulator (see http://www.maximintegrated.com/app-notes/index.mvp/id/4322). And in response to reader inquiries, Maxim posted a followup article, “The Quick Guide to Layout Considerations for the Lithium-Ion (Li+) Battery Simulator,” which offers tips on designing the PCB, shows a sample layout, and a photo of a completed prototype (see http://www.maximintegrated.com/app-notes/index.mvp/id/4721).

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