Ideally, would like to be able to charge cell phones and other small computing devices that utilize Li-Ion batteries. I have seen wireless charging designs that include an external plug that is connected to the host device for charging. Initially I intended to devise a system that would be contained within the host device to manage charging. Although it would be far simpler to design an external plug than an internal charging controller. I know that Li-Ion tend to be more difficult to charge than the Ni-Cad and NiMH varieties. On this site:
http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/200210/lithiumion.htm
the author researched charging methods and guidelines for Li-Ion. Bottom line is that Li-Ion require substantial charging controls to monitor temperature & current in addition to voltage. Charging must cease once the cells have topped-off or the cells can be damaged, destroyed or explode. The author had to design and build a custom charger that was able to communicate with Smart Li-Ion packs which use SMBus for communication between charger and battery pack – very complicated. I believe that cell phones have these smart charging controls onboard and the wall adapters are dumb sources.
I can still charge other types of batteries using the simple resistor charger but will need to utilize an external plug for charging a Li-Ion powered device.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment