Don Alan today set a new benchmark in compactness for Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack VMS systems. The unit is less than 6mm thick. It handles voltage monitoring and balancing of 14 cells (48V nominal) packs. This version has isolated serial and uses the Modbus protocol (RS485) for communication. Power and communication are completely isolated and the pack has zero power consumption when not actively in use which extends the storage life of batteries.
The ultra thin PCB conducts the heat from the balancing circuits straight to a metal base which conducts the heat out as well as being part of the battery pack mechanical structure.
The unit will also perform accurately with safety resistors connected in series with the sense and balance wires. In addition all connections to the battery sense wires have series resistors on the PCB to provide the ultimate in reliable safety. CEO of Don Alan explained – “the seemingly innocent thin little wires used for connecting to the VMS need to be handled carefully. If they are not protected and there is a fault they can stay hot and burn through insulation with devastating consequences. Our system allows these wires to be protected at the cell end with simple fusible resistors and protects them at the VMS end on the VMS board.
Non volatile storage is included so that battery service history can be recorded in the battery. Cell pack and VMS module temperature are also reported.
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