January 2013 

Feature Article

Testing Requirements in the Electric Vehicle Industry
Electric vehicle sales have steadily increased over the last few years, and the number of electric and plug-in hybrid models available on the market is expected to nearly double by the end of 2013. This increase in sales and manufacturing coupled with innovative technological achievements in the US automotive industry gives promise to this relatively new and emerging industry. ...read more

Battery Blog

The Tail Wagging the Dog
The end-of-the-year holidays (hopefully) gave all of us a little quiet time to relax and reflect. This year, I finally took the time to clean out some old boxes that had been tucked away in the back corner of my office closet... mostly old notebooks and drawings from projects long ago forgotten. But I found one interesting artifact that I decided to keep for its historical value,  the first Lithium-Ion battery spec sheet that I had,  a faxed copy, no less, from 1993. ...read more

Cadex Electronics, Inc. is an established global leader in battery management products. With 30 years of experience developing and commercializing technologies for testing and servicing batteries, Cadex has delivered solutions to many of the world’s largest companies in radio and cellular communications, medical devices, portable computing, and aviation.

New innovations include the versatile C8000 Advanced Battery Testing System that allows you to optimize batteries at every stage of product life, and the C5100 Battery Testing System that delivers tremendous value to cellular retailers.

Cadex is ISO 9001and ISO13485 (Medical) certified and our products are sold in over 100 countries.

Cadex Electronics Inc.
22000 Fraserwood Way • Richmond, BC V6W1J6 Canada
Contact: Sales • 604-231-7777 • info@cadex.com
www.cadex.com • www.BatteryUniversity.com

Microchip Launches 8-bit Microcontrollers with Integrated Configurable Logic in 6- to 20-pin Packages
The PIC10F(LF)32X and PIC1XF(LF)150X MCUs each feature new peripherals, including Configurable Logic Cells (CLCs), Complementary Waveform Generators (CWGs) and Numerically Controlled Oscillators (NCOs), enabling functionality that was not possible before with low pincount MCUs. These general-purpose MCUs enable designers to enhance the functionality, reduce design size, and decrease the cost and power consumption of products.

The CLC peripherals on the PIC10F(LF)32X and PIC1XF(LF)150X MCUs enable software control of combinational and sequential logic, which increases the on-chip interconnection of peripherals and I/Os, thereby reducing external components, saving code space and adding functionality. The CWG peripheral works with multiple peripherals to generate complementary waveforms with dead-band control and auto shutdown, which provides improved switching efficiencies. Additionally, the NCO peripheral enables linear frequency control and high resolution, which is required for applications such as lighting ballast, tone generation and other resonant control circuits. The MCUs also feature low power consumption, with currents of less than 30 µA/MHz in active mode, and less than 20 nA in sleep; as well as an on-chip 16 MHz internal oscillator, Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), and up to 4 Pulse-Width Modulation peripherals. An integrated temperature-indicator module enables low-cost temperature measurements.

To facilitate application development, the PICDEM Lab Development Kit (part # DM163045, $134.99) now includes samples of both the PIC10F322 and PIC16F1507 MCUs. Additionally, the F1 Evaluation Platform (part # DM164130-1, $39.99) is available for development with enhanced mid-range core 8-bit PIC MCUs, including the PIC1XF(LF)150X family. Also available is a free CLC Configuration Tool, to streamline the setup process of the CLC module by simulating the functionality of the registers and combinational logic in a graphical user interface (GUI).

The PIC10F(LF)320 and PIC10F(LF)322 MCUs are available in a 6-pin SOT-23 package, as well as 8-pin PDIP and 2 mm x 3 mm DFN packages. The PIC12F(LF)1501 MCU will be available in 8-pin PDIP, SOIC, MSOP and 2 mm x 3 mm DFN packages, and the PIC16F(LF)1503 MCU in 14-pin PDIP, SOIC and TSSOP packages, as well as a 3 mm x 3 mm QFN package. The PIC16F(LF)1507 MCU is available in 20-pin SSOP, PDIP, SOIC, and 4 mm x 4 mm QFN packages, as will the PIC16F(LF)1508/9 MCUs, when available. Pricing starts at $0.37 each, in 10,000-unit quantities.

Click here for more information.

Narrow Profile CR2032 Battery Retainer
MPD newest edition to the retainer family is a narrow profile version, P/N BC-2003 for 20 mm diameter batteries. Offering a narrow width and weighting 0.48 grams is just the beginning...read more

Renesas Electronics Introduces Lithium-Ion Battery Charge Controller IC with Support for Large-Current Rapid Charging
Renesas Electronics Corp. has released the R2A20057BM lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery charge controller IC for mobile devices employing...read more

Low-Cost Battery Testing Solution from CAS DataLoggers
Heavy machinery, electric forklifts and other systems often experience battery drains during startup, when much of the current is devoted to running large engines, leaving this equipment ...read more

Gomadic Unveils Solar Chargers

Gomadic has launched SunVolt and SunVolt Max portable solar chargers. Unlike typical solar chargers, the SunVolt allows for charging speeds identical to that of a traditional wall charger, while still boasting a ...read more

Innergie Introduces the Compact and Lightweight PocketCell Duo
Innergie has introduced the PocketCell Duo rechargeable battery bank. Accompanying the growing number of portable consumer devices is the all too familiar experience of low battery warnings at...read more

Thin-Film Batteries for Miniature Gadgets Set for Phenomenal Growth

Thin-film batteries hold the key to revolutionizing miniature devices. Their flexibility, small size and high power attributes position thin-film batteries as the go-to power source ...read more

Panacis Receives Patent that Improves Performance and Extends Life of Lithium Batteries at High Temperatures
The US Patent Office has granted Panacis, Inc. a patent that improves rechargeable battery operation and cycle life at high ambient temperatures, a challenge for high energy ...read more

Saft Awarded Additional $1.3 Million by BAE Systems for US Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle Lithium-Ion Energy Storage System
BAE Systems has awarded Saft with $1.3 million in new funding for the continued development of a Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) energy storage system for the US Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program. ...read more

Axion Power Residential Energy Storage Hub Certified To UL, CSA Safety Standards
Axion Power International, Inc.’s Residential Energy Storage Hub (HUB) has achieved certification to UL1741, IEEE 1547 and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) safety standards. The certification will effectively allow the HUB to be marketed and installed...read more

ZPower Announces ISO 9001:2008 Certification for Rechargeable Silver-Zinc Batteries

ZPower LLC, has received ISO 9001:2008 certification from the global auditing firm BSI. This certification covers ZPower’s processes for the design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of rechargeable silver-zinc batteries. ...read more

Arkema and OXIS Partner to Develop Next Generation of Battery Technology

Polymer Lithium Sulfur cells battery technology is considered to be the next generation of battery, complementary to Lithium-ion systems. It has the best performance record among ...read more