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Mid-Continent Instrument TRUE BLUE POWER TB40 Series Installation Manual And Operating Instructions

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Revision F • June 23, 2022

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Summary of Contents for Mid-Continent Instrument TRUE BLUE POWER TB40 Series

  • Page 1 Revision F • June 23, 2022...
  • Page 2 This manual provides information intended for use by persons who, in accordance with current regulatory requirements, are qualified to install this equipment. If further information is required, please contact: True Blue Power c/o Mid-Continent Instrument Co., Inc. Attn: Customer Service Dept. 9400 E. 34th St. N. Wichita, KS 67226 USA...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1  GENERAL DESCRIPTION 4  1.1  INTRODUCTION 4  1.2  PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES 4  1.3  UNIT ARCHITECTURE 5  1.4  TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 6  1.5  IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION 8  SECTION 2  PRE-INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS 10  2.1  COOLING 10  2.2  EQUIPMENT LOCATION 10  2.3 ...
  • Page 4 REVISION HISTORY Date Detail Approved 08/02/2019 Initial release. Revised EQF, added DO-311A Compliance Qualification 10/01/2019 Form and provided additional limitation details (sec 2.5) Updated style and brand to meet Marketing and Engineering guidelines. Added downloadable event log feature and instructions to 05/21/2020 load/download custom configuration parameters.

  • Page 5: Section 1 General Description

    SECTION 1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION INTRODUCTION The TB40 series Advanced Lithium-ion Battery, part numbers 6430040-( ), are designed to deliver high current capability to start piston and turbine aircraft engines and subsequently, provide power to the aircraft electrical bus in the event of generator function loss. The TB40 is a sophisticated energy storage and power system that utilizes state-of-the-art Nanophosphate ®...

  • Page 6: Unit Architecture

    UNIT ARCHITECTURE The unit is comprised of two primary building blocks:  Battery cell modules with on-board monitoring, logic, and protections  Battery Management System (BMS) with control and communication functions Each battery module consists of thirty-two (32) cells arranged as eight (8) groups of four (4) parallel cells, connected in series.

  • Page 7: Technical Specifications

    TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Electrical Attributes Power Input 28.8 volts DC Nominal, 400A Max Power Output 26.4 volts DC Nominal, Continuous Current 525A; Power Peak Current (I ) 1390A (at 18.5V CV discharge); Power Rated Current (I ) 1125A (at 18.5V CV discharge) Battery Capacity 40 amp hours (Ah) @ 23°C (Beginning of Life)
  • Page 8 13.0 13.5 14.4 12.1 Figure 1.1 Outline Drawing Manual Number 9019288 • Revision F, June 23, 2022...

  • Page 9: Important Safety Information

    IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Read this safety information BEFORE maintaining or servicing the battery. 1.5.1 Symbol Definition This section describes the precautions necessary for safe operations. The following safety symbols have been placed throughout the guide. WARNING Warnings identify conditions or practices that could result in personal injury. CAUTION Cautions identify conditions or practices that could result in damage to the equipment.
  • Page 10 1.5.3 Additional Precautions The following design and operation factors are required for safe use. CAUTION  It is not acceptable to combine or use any battery cells or modules other than those approved by True Blue Power within this battery pack. ...

  • Page 11: Section 2 Pre-Installation Considerations

    SECTION 2 PRE-INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS COOLING No internal or external cooling of the unit is required. The unit is designed to operate over a wide temperature range and includes internal thermal monitoring and protection circuits. See Section 4 for more details. EQUIPMENT LOCATION The True Blue Power Advanced Lithium-ion Battery is designed for mounting flexibility, allowing for installation with no requirement for temperature or pressure control.

  • Page 12: Limitations

    LIMITATIONS The conditions and tests for TSO approval of this article are minimum performance standards. Those installing this article, on or in a specific type or class of aircraft, must determine that the aircraft installation conditions are within the TSO standards. TSO articles must receive additional installation approval prior to being operated on each aircraft.

  • Page 13: Section 3 Installation

    SECTION 3 INSTALLATION GENERAL This section contains mounting, electrical connections and other information required for installation. These instructions represent a typical installation and are not specific to any aircraft. PRE-INSTALLATION INSPECTION Unpacking: Carefully remove the battery from the shipping container. The shipping container and packing are designed specifically for the transit of lithium batteries and approved by international transportation agencies.

  • Page 14: Installation

    INSTALLATION WARNING DO NOT SHORT TERMINALS AT ANY TIME! Extreme care and caution should be applied when handling and connecting to the unit. Danger of short circuit and subsequent arc flash, electrical burns or equipment damage can occur if not handled properly.
  • Page 15 1½ inch Vent Port Quick Disconnect Receptacle per MS3509 (MIL-PRF-18148/3) ¼-20 Threaded Ground Lug 18-pin Data Communication USB Access Cover Figure 3.1 Connection Features Figure 3.2 Connection Locations Manual Number 9019288 • Revision F, June 23, 2022...
  • Page 16 Communication Connector (18-pin) Description Analog SOC Battery Disable Input Heater Disable Input RTD-1A RTD-1B Figure 3.3 RTD-2A Communication Connector RTD-2B ARINC 429 (A) Service Discrete Fault Discrete Heating Discrete Min Capacity Discrete Analog Ground Spare / BMS Ref * Spare ARINC Shield Engine Start Discrete ARINC 429 (B)
  • Page 17 3.4.2 Securing the Unit The battery is designed to be secured in the aircraft using hold-down rods. The hold-down features are integrated into the lid of the battery. The hold-down consists of a slot for the hold-down rod, open to the outboard sides, and two perpendicular slots on each side to keep the rod vertical using an alignment washer.
  • Page 18 TB40 installations in a rotary wing environments require the helicopter mounting kit (see Section 3.3.2), which includes corner braces and a silicone pad to limit overall motion of the battery. Alternative/similar mounting hardware can be used at the discretion of the installer. Figure 3.6 Helicopter Mounting Kit Manual Number 9019288 •...
  • Page 19 3.4.3 Vent Installation It is recommended that the battery be operated with the vent tube in place when installed in the aircraft. The vent port is 1.50 inches in diameter and has a protrusion just inboard around the outside diameter to help prevent any disengagement of the attached vent tube. There are two possible locations for the vent port to be configured.
  • Page 20 3.4.4 Custom Programmable Parameters The True Blue Power Advanced Lithium-ion Battery is designed with software control that provides the ability to configure it with custom parameters that are specific to the aircraft. This can only be done while the battery is not in flight and is in Control Mode (see 4.3.2). Custom configuration parameters are loaded onto the unit using a standard USB 2.0 compatible flash drive (see Section 5.3.2).
  • Page 21  Engine Start Setting the Engine Start parameters provides ARINC and a discrete signal indicating that the required amount of energy and peak current, given the existing environmental conditions and state of the battery, is available to complete a full engine start. This indication is useful to avoid a potential ‘hot start’...

  • Page 22: Section 4 Operation

    SECTION 4 OPERATION DESCRIPTION The True Blue Power TBX series Advanced Lithium-ion Battery is designed to supply power for starting an aircraft engine and providing emergency backup power to aircraft systems in the event of primary power generation loss. It utilizes rechargeable Nanophosphate lithium-ion cells in a parallel and series configuration to provide the specified voltage, power and total energy capacity.
  • Page 23 Switch Board The Switch board incorporates high-power transistors used to enable and disable charging or discharging of the unit. This allows for the unit to take action based on its own monitoring and protections to prevent damage to the product. The Switch board also contains the current limiting functionality.
  • Page 24 4.2.5 Case and Hardware The mechanical construction plays a key role in the design to specifically support optimal functionality, mitigate and contain any potential failure, and withstand the expected aircraft environment. Material selections, component design, assembly processes and test all contribute to the performance and safety of the product.

  • Page 25: Operational Modes

    OPERATIONAL MODES The battery has three basic modes of operation: Sleep Mode, Control Mode, and Active Mode. These modes, and associated functionality, are explained below. 4.3.1 Sleep Mode Sleep Mode is used to disable the power output of the battery and reduce internal energy consumption to preserve resting state of charge.
  • Page 26 4.3.3 Active Mode In Active Mode, the battery is fully functional and available to provide power barring no protections are being enforced and the battery is operating properly. In Active Mode, the battery continuously monitors all cells and battery conditions to manage operation and mitigate exceedances as needed through its various protection methods.
  • Page 27 Engine Start The TB40 battery can provide a peak current of 1500A for the purpose of aircraft engine starting. It will provide a maximum of 1120A (280A maximum per module) for up to 15 seconds and below 525A continuously. The low internal impedance of the Nanophosphate lithium-ion chemistry allows extremely high current delivery while maintaining higher voltage than traditional battery types.
  • Page 28 Heating The battery is designed to support an engine start from as low as -5°C (23°F), depending upon the engine start profile, without pre-heat required. Below this temperature, the performance of the unit begins to decrease in current and energy delivery as the electrolyte in the cells begins to thicken and the internal impedance increases to retard ion flow.
  • Page 29 Battery Protections The TBX series Advanced Lithium-ion Battery has built-in protections for conditions that may exceed specified operating limits: Protection Parameter(s) Action Recovery Under Voltage If discharge current < 160A and Discharging Battery Voltage > 20VDC and (low current) battery voltage < 16VDC or cell disabled Cell string voltage >...

  • Page 30: Battery Communication

    BATTERY COMMUNICATION When in Active Mode, the Advanced Lithium-ion Battery presents multiple status indications and data to the aircraft for display and monitoring on appropriate systems. These are supplied as either serial, discrete, or analog signals. The various outputs and their definition are supplied in Sections 4.4.1 through 4.4.3.
  • Page 31 4.4.2 Discrete Communication Signals Discrete signals are available to provide both basic battery status and simplified indication of battery readiness specific to the aircraft’s requirements. In some cases, where serial data cannot be integrated with the aircraft’s avionics or other messaging systems, the discrete battery status signals can be used to meet minimum regulatory annunciation requirements for lithium batteries.
  • Page 32 4.4.3 Serial Communication Signals The battery generates a sophisticated array of situational status and data available for real- time reporting and awareness. This is provided to the aircraft in the form of serial data using the ARINC 429 protocol. Below is the definition of the data the battery provides. Contact the manufacturer to receive additional details associated with the format of the data provided for each label.
  • Page 33 ARINC 429 Label Format Definition Transmit Interval (ms) Label Parameter Name Data Type Range Units Resolution Bits Battery Discrete DISCRETE Outputs DC Current ± 4096 0.125 DC Voltage 0.001953 Battery Temperature ± 512 0.125 1000 2000 Deliverable Energy 0.0625 1000 2000 Capacity 0.0625...
  • Page 34 4.4.4 On-board Status Indicator The on-board Status Indicator can provide on-demand health status and state of charge. It can also be used to manually transition the battery from Sleep Mode to Active Mode by pressing the STATUS button. This can be used to check status, state of charge, or to initiate the heaters to pre-heat the battery (if the battery is cold).
  • Page 35 Figure 4.3 On-Board Status Indicator STATUS/SOC Button Pressing the STATUS/SOC Button serves several purposes.  From Active or Sleep Mode: o Cycles the chevrons in blue, followed by the state of charge (SOC) indication, followed by continuous display of the Status indication. o Initiates a self-test of all battery discrete outputs which are set to active for 10 seconds.

  • Page 36: Performance

    PERFORMANCE 4.5.1 Capacity Capacity is the measurement of the energy stored in the battery and most often is used to determine the length of time a particular electrical load can be operated. A standard measure of rechargeable battery capacity is the current-over-time performance (measured in amp- hours) called the “C”...
  • Page 37 4.5.2 Temperature Performance The TBX series incorporates cell technology that performs well over temperature extremes. It can support an engine start from as low as -5°C (23°F), depending upon the engine start profile. Cold temperature performance is extended to as low as -40°C (-40°F) when using the internally powered heater and allowing the appropriate pre-heat time.

  • Page 38: Section 5 Conformance

    SECTION 5 CONFORMANCE DISPATCH VERIFICATION AND IN-FLIGHT MONITORING The main ship battery typically serves two primary purposes: engine start and emergency backup power.  Engine Start: In order to attempt an engine start, the user should verify that the FAULT signal is not active.

  • Page 39: Control Mode

    CONTROL MODE For control mode operations (e.g. software updates, custom programmable parameters and event log) refer below to Figure 5.1 and Table 5.1. If the Service Button is pressed and a valid flash drive is not inserted within one minute the battery will reboot into flight mode.  Service Button Service Light...
  • Page 40 E. While the battery is reading from or writing to the USB flash drive the service light will blink yellow when installing the software update. F. Once the software update is completed the service light will be solid green (if software update completed successfully) or be solid red (if software update did not complete successfully).
  • Page 41 E. With the battery idle (no charge or discharge current, no active protections), press and hold the blue service button (located above and to the left of the USB port) until the service light (located above and to the right of the USB port) changes from solid white to blinking white (approximately 3 seconds) and release before the flashing white stops (5 seconds).

  • Page 42: Optional Service

    H. The USB flash drive will now have a file named eventlog.csv that can be imported into a spreadsheet for viewing and further analysis. Remove the USB flash drive and the battery will reboot into flight mode. J. Replace the USB access cover securely. OPTIONAL SERVICE The True Blue Power Advanced Lithium-ion Battery is a maintenance-free product.
  • Page 43 5.4.2 Charging Recommended Chargers / Operation: 1. True Blue Charger Pro TT28-12 – refer to User Manual 2. True Blue Charger Mx TT28-2 – refer to User Manual 3. Benchtop Power Supply: 0-30VDC Range In order to charge the unit off-aircraft, follow the steps listed below: 1.

  • Page 44: Component Service

    Manual Capacity Check If there is any reason to suspect the accuracy of the reported capacity, a manually measured capacity check can be performed. A. Ensure that the unit is charged per Section 5.4.2. Apply a constant current load of 40A to discharge the battery pack. (Capacity check should be conducted at 23°C ±3°C (68-79°F) for best results.) Monitor the time (in minutes and seconds) from initially applying the constant current load in Step B until the unit the battery is nearly depleted and turns off the...

  • Page 45: Storage Information

    STORAGE INFORMATION In normal use, the battery utilizes the aircraft power to maintain the proper charge voltage and sustain the battery cells at peak capacity. Although the cells have an extremely low relative self- discharge rate, all batteries will slowly self-discharge if left unused for long periods. In addition, self-discharge rates are directly related to the storage temperature.

  • Page 46: End Of Life

    END OF LIFE Estimated life for the True Blue Power Advanced Lithium-ion Battery is expected to exceed six (6) years. The unit has reliably demonstrated over 20,000+ simulated engine starts and subsequent charge cycles. The cells themselves are designed for a useful life of up to ten (10) calendar years. The following conditions will help maintain or extend the life and performance of your product: ...

  • Page 47: Do-311A Compliance Qualification Form

    PART NUMBER: 6430040-( ) DESCRIPTION: Advanced Li-Ion Main Ship Battery CERTIFICATION: FAA TSO-179b MANUFACTURER: True Blue Power, a division of Mid-Continent Instrument Co., Inc. ADDRESS: 9400 E. 34 St. North, Wichita, KS 67226, USA SPECIFICATION: Test Specification (TS) 713 Test Data Sheet (TDS) 713...

  • Page 48: 5.10 Do-160 Environmental Qualification Form

    PART NUMBER: 6430040-( ) DESCRIPTION: Advanced Li-Ion Main Ship Battery CERTIFICATION: FAA TSO-179b MANUFACTURER: True Blue Power, a division of Mid-Continent Instrument Co., Inc. ADDRESS: 9400 E. 34 St. North, Wichita, KS 67226, USA. SPECIFICATION: Test Specification (TS) 713 Test Data Sheet (TDS) 713...

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