Battery Diagnostics On-the-Fly: Removing the “Black-Box” Stigma by Making Performance Transparent

Isidor Buchmann, CEO & Founder, Cadex Electronics, Inc.     

Battery users imagine a battery pack being an energy storage device that resembles a fuel tank dispensing liquid fuel. For simplicity reasons, a battery can indeed be perceived as a vessel storing electrical energy; however, measuring energy flowing into an electrochemical device and then drawing it out again is far more complex than handling liquid fuel. While a hydraulic fuel gauge measures liquids moving in and out of a tank of known size, a battery fuel gauge reads units of current. Battery size is specified in ampere hours (Ah), and what makes estimating battery state-of-charge (SoC) and state-of-health (SoH) so challenging is an unsteady state; a battery loses capacity with each charge and leaks energy in the form of self-discharge. Read more about Battery Diagnostics On-the-Fly: Removing the “Black-Box” Stigma by Making Performance Transparent

Battery Diagnostics and Monitoring Advancements in Battery Test Technologies

Isidor Buchmann, CEO and Founder, Cadex Electronics, Inc.

The leading health indicator of a battery is capacity; a measurement that represents energy storage. A new battery delivers (should deliver) 100 percent of the rated capacity. Lead acid starts at about 85 percent and increases in capacity through use before the long and gradual decrease begins. Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) starts at peak capacity and begins its decline immediately, albeit very slowly. Read more about Battery Diagnostics and Monitoring Advancements in Battery Test Technologies