Rechargeable Battery Measurements; Introduction - Tektronix Keithley SourceMeter 2450 User Manual

In this section:

Introduction

This example application demonstrates how to use a single 2450 to perform automated battery
discharge and charge cycle testing.
To prevent personal injury or damage to the 2450, do not attempt to charge nonrechargeable
batteries. Some of the batteries that can be charged with a 2450 are nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd),
nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH), lithium ion (Li-ion), rechargeable alkaline, and lead acid. If you
are working with a battery type that is not listed here, please contact your local Keithley
office, sales partner, or distributor, or call one of our Applications Engineers to get technical
assistance.
Always follow the battery manufacturer's requirements for charging or discharging batteries
using a 2450. Failure to properly charge or discharge batteries may cause them to leak or
explode, resulting in personal injury and property damage. Overvoltage and current
protection should be provided in the charge circuit, external to the instrument, when charging
batteries without built-in protection.
Do not charge or discharge batteries that exceed 21 V at 1.05 A or 210 V at 105 mA.
For both the charging and discharging cycles, you configure the 2450 to source voltage and measure
current. The following figures show simplified schematics for the charge and discharge cycles.

Rechargeable battery measurements

Introduction ............................................................................... 8-1
Equipment required .................................................................. 8-3
Device connections .................................................................. 8-4
Automated battery charge and discharge cycle testing ............ 8-6
Section 8