Electronica - Munich

Just a quick note to let people know that Accutronics will be exhibiting at the Electronica Exhibition which is held in Munich, Germany between the 9th and 12th of November. We will be on stand 355 in hall B2. Myself, Rob Phillips, Gareth Morgan, Mark Edlin and Hans-Martin Baum will all be present to answer your questions and show off our latest products. More info to be released closer to the show...

Neil

Energy Density - Myth and Legend

Cell and battery manufacturers often promote their technology and products in terms of Energy Density to demonstrate stored energy with regard to both weight and volume.

Gravimetric Energy Density (GED) is expressed in Watt Hour per Kilogram (Wh/Kg) while Volumetric Energy density (VED) is expressed in Watt Hour per Litre (Wh/l). These figures are useful to battery designers and device manufacturers as they allow comparison between different battery technologies, different cell sizes and different manufacturers.

It is commonly known that out of the three mainstream technologies used for portable batteries, Lithium Ion has the highest energy density with Nickel Metal Hydride in second place and Nickel Cadmium coming in third which explains the transition away from Nickel based chemistries over the past ten years.

The following chart shows the energy density of various cells based on data taken from commercially available data sheets, this clearly demonstrates the advantages of Lithium Ion Technology.

To learn more about energy density please read my article on the Accutronics website.

Smart Battery Gadget

The rechargeable battery industry is not known for its gadgets but the Accutronics Smart Battery Reader is one of those pieces of kit that become invaluable once you have one. They plug directly into any smart battery fitted with a standard Tyco 5-way smart battery interface and draw power from the battery. A 2-line 16-character display shows each piece of smart battery data and the user can toggle between them using two buttons. There is even a serial port on the back for connection to a PC. You can find out more about this product here.



Once you have a reader you will know what you battery is thinking - know its state of charge, who made it, the serial number, the calibration status plus a myriad of other information which is important to the smart battery system.


Accutronics are experts in the development and manufacture of smart batteries for a wide range of professional applications. If you wish to discuss your latest battery powered product please contact us or drop me an email directly. - Neil

Battery Recycling

We often get asked if we can take back batteries for recycling. In accordance with the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations (2009), Accutronics Limited is happy to take back (for recycling) industrial batteries in both Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium Ion technologies. Our website covers this subject in great detail - click here to find out more.


Neil

Embedded Technology Conference

Hi, Back in July we were fortunate enough to exhibit at the Embedded Technology Conference in Germany. Accutronics presented a paper entitled "When Power Failure is Not an Option" and I participated in an interview for Embedded News.TV. These are still on-line for all to enjoy. You can download a copy of the presentation here and watch the video by clicking here.

Neil