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INTRODUCTION.
Welcome
to our November issue.Yet again we are behind with our
publication
and must
apologise for the delay. Unfortunately, we have been
extremely
busy and
have fallen somewhat behind, just for a change!
Now is a
very good time to think about any rechargeable batteries you
may
need
over the coming Christmas period. You can bet that your kids,
nieces
and
nephews will need them for all those new toys they'll be getting.
We'll
take another look at rechargeable in more detail next
month.
Remember: Look after you batteries and your
batteries will look after you!
This month we look at some rather unusual
cells, Cyclon or Gates Lead Acid
cells as they are sometimes called
and lithium ion cells which are
becoming
more and
more popular lately too.
We hope
you enjoy reading all about them.
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Editor: Alan Fidler.
Alan is the owner and manager of
CBC Design, a leading battery management company
based in the UK. He has worked in the industry for
over Eighteen years and
has designed
charging equipment and battery monitors for some of the world
largest companies.
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ARTICLE: Lithium Cells. Author: Alan
Fidler.
Lithium ion cells are becoming a regular
site now in camcorders, digital cameras
and other high discharge applications. They
offer performance advantages which
include long life, compact size, minimal
weight and a 3.6 volt nominal potential.
Lithium ion cells cost more compared to
other technologies but the performance
advantages should compensate for this over a
period of time. As the number of
cells available and demand increases, they
will inevitably come down in price. At
the
moment, expect to pay anything up to 3
times the price of a Nicad equivalent.
Lithium Ion cells are available in a range
of sizes in both cylindrical and
prismatic
cells with amp hour ratings of 0.5AH to
2.7AH. Development of larger capacity
cells
will
result in bigger battery sizes as time goes by. Indeed, lithium
cells are under
continuous development and
improvement.
Unfortunately, lithium cells are not really
suitable for retro fit applications where
Nicad or
lead acid cells were previously employed unless precautions are
included
to limit
depth of discharge or prevent overcharge. Often, the charging system
originally
fitted
will be unsuitable for recharging lithium
anyway and will have to be replaced.
Of
course a well designed Nicad charger with timed charge and float
voltage facilities
can be
used with minor adjustments.
It is
essential that the cells are recharged properly then and this is
achieved using
a
tightly controlled charging regime that limits charging current,
charging voltage
and
ripple. A good charger will recharge a cell with a fixed constant
current (bulk)
until it reaches approximately
4.2VDC +/- 0.5% at which point the charger reverts
to a
constant potential mode where the current is
gradually reduced to around 4%
of the
bulk current level before the charger switches
off altogether. A poor charger
will
destroy the battery very quickly indeed.
Lithium
batteries are available in wide variety of shapes and sizes.
Typically a 3V
cell,
batteries of 6V and 9V are also available making them useful in a
number of
portable
appliances from handheld and laptop computers to portable stereos.
In
time
they are a likely replacement Nicad cells entirely.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________
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ARTICLE: Cyclon (Gates)
Lead Acid Cells: Author: Alan Fidler.
Cyclon cells, sometimes called Gates
cells have been manufactured for years and have
been specifically
developed for heavy discharge applications in
sizes ranging from 2.5 to
25AH. Manufactured into a sealed
cylindrical container, Cyclon cells can be mounted
in
a
variety of orientations without leakage.
In
cyclic applications they can be discharged and recharged up to 2,000
times although
it does
depend upon the depth of discharge. As a rough guide a typical
Cyclon cell can last
upwards
of 10 years and this coupled with its extreme temperature
performance and
fast
recharge times makes the Cyclon cell vastly superior to standard
lead acid types.
In float
applications the service life can exceed 15 years making them
particularly
suitable
for unattended applications in railside substations and similar
environments.
In Addition to the standard cylindrical
configurations, Cyclon cells offer a high degree
of
flexibility to meet unusual requirement. With 2.5Ah,
4.5Ah, 5.0Ah, 8.0Ah, 12.0Ah
and
25.0Ah cells available, batteries can be custom manufactured to suit most
applications.
Cells can be arranged in
rectangular, trapezoid, nested, tubular or flat pack
configurations
to suit the space available. On a power to weight
ratio, the Cyclon cell is well worth
consideration. They are charged at 2.4
volts per cell at 20oC using smooth constant
potential charging
equipment.
Here are
some of the benefits offered by these remarkable
cells:-
Exceptional high rate
performance!
Cell
operating temperature range of -65oC to +80oC!
High
shock & vibration resistance!
Cycle
life up to 3000 cycles at 30% depth of
discharge!
Float
Life: 10-15 Years at 20oC!
Storage
Life: Greater than 2 years from full charge at
25oC!
Recharge
to 95% capacity in under 1 hour!
Visit
the following sites for comprehensive cell size
details:-
Of course you get what you pay for and
naturally one would expect to pay more
for cells of this nature than for standard
lead acid batteries so expect them
to be
at least
twice the price and you won't be far out.
Cyclon
are very good batteries well suited to critical support
applications. If you
want a
lead acid battery that tolerates condition under which a standard
battery
would
collapse, the Cyclon is an excellent choice.
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________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
READERS QUESTIONS.
Questions from Kevin Spinks! What does EMP
mean?
It
stands for Electro Magnetic
Pulse, a burst of electrical energy
capable
of destroying electronic equipment
in some
cases.
Question2! What does EHT mean?
This
stands for Extra High Tension. A typical example is the High
Voltage
spark plug supply in a car ignition
system.
_________________________________________________________________________
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