QUICK LINKS
GETTING STARTED
USING THE BATTERY
MAINTAINING THE BATTERY
APPENDIXES
19
Planar Battery System BAT24SI
Power consumption efficiency
The charging controller board has four levels of power consumption: charging, running,
standby, and off.
Charging mode
The batteries are charged using a constant current/constant voltage
algorithm. A constant current of 3.0 amps max is applied to each battery
until the voltage on the battery reaches 14.4 V. The current exponentially
decreases to maintain 14.4 V on the battery. The cooling fan is on during
this cycle. The +12 VDC regulator circuitry is powered by the power
supply, and the communication system reports the charge status of
the batteries to the host.
Running mode
The board consumes power at a rate proportional to the power
consumed by the load during its running mode. The board proves to
be 88% efficient when connected to a 4.5 amp load.
Standby mode
The board consumes about 8.5 mA of current when in stand-by mode.
A fully charged and new battery lasts about 3 months in the battery
system before it needs to be charged.
Off mode
The board consumes about 350 µA of current when in the stand-by
mode. A fully charged and new battery lasts about 3 months in the
battery system before it needs to be charged. The battery continues
to drain at a rate of 350 µA. Batteries that are not connected to the
controller board have a shelf life of 1 month 97%, 3 months 91%,
6 months 85%, at 68° F.
