Low Cost NiMH Battery Charger board preprogrammed to charge 3 NiMH cells. Charge profile and number of batteries can be changed with firmware. The design uses the MCP1630 High-Speed Analog PWM combined with the PIC microcontroller. Charge current is initially set for 1.35 A fast charge.
●Features:
● Programmed parameters - modified in firmware
● Factory Settings:
●\- Preconditioning Charge Current =170 mA
●\- Preconditioning Threshold = 3 V
●\- Constant Current Fast Charge = 1.35 A
●\- Charge Termination based on delta - VBATT / delta time
●\- Charge Termination based on delta + TBATT / delta time, with external thermistor installed
● Top Off Charge Current = 130 mA for 1 Hour
● Overvoltage protection (battery removed)
● Overcharge protection to prevent damaging the battery
● Overcurrent protection in the event of a shorted battery
● Battery reversal protection
● Input short circuit protection
● Overtemperature protection to prevent the battery from reaching too high a temperature during charge
● Soft-start capability by holding the reference voltage low during power-up
● The MCP1630 Low-Cost NiMH Battery Charger has the flexibility to optimize the charging algorithm for new battery technology, different battery chemistries or different battery pack configurations
● Proprietary features can be added by modifying the firmware contained in the PIC12F683
● The factory-programmed source code is available
● Ability to adapt to environmental effects, such as ambient temperature
