The credit
card battery was developed by Accutronics in response to its OEM (Original
Equipment Manufacturer) customer’s demands for a compact and rechargeable
lithium-ion battery available for delivery on a short lead time.
Most OEMs want to be able to integrate a battery into their
application, without jumping through hoops to develop a new energy source for
every new product. However, finding a product that meets their quality
expectations and comes with the right level of functionality and regulatory
compliance is no mean feat.
Electronic device OEMs in professional markets have difficulty accessing
smaller high quality rechargeable lithium ion battery packs for their portable
devices. This might seem surprising, given the success of these batteries in
consumer electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers.
However, the requirements of OEMs in professional markets are very different
from those in the consumer sector, and there is often a disconnect between
managing expectations and what the battery industry is willing or, indeed, able
to provide. For instance, the lifecycle of an average consumer battery is 18
months. In contrast, specialist OEM devices have a lifespan of 15 or more
years, which makes the risk of obsolescence very high. This means that embedding
a consumer battery, which may become obsolete in just a couple of years, is not
a viable solution for manufacturers. Regardless, OEMs often have to buy a
battery which was, likely as not, designed for a mobile phone or portable
camcorder; but such products don't come with the technical backup required and
the OEM is at the mercy of the product life cycle of the consumer device for
which the battery was originally intended.
The CC2300 and CC3800 credit
card batteries were developed by Accutronics in response to these OEM’s demand
for a short lead time, compact and rechargeable Lithium Ion battery solution
for their portable devices. The batteries are pre-engineered, tooled and
qualified before they reach the end user.
They feature 3.7V Lithium Ion cell technology coupled with an impedance
tracking fuel gauge, an active protection system that makes them resistant to
over-charging, over-discharging and short-circuiting, and a compact connector,
all contained in a package with a footprint identical to that of a credit card.
Full compliance to international safety and
transportation standards is assured as Credit Card Batteries are CE
marked and meet the requirements of IEC62133 and UN38.3
which means that OEMs do not need to perform additional testing when submitting
products to certifying bodies. The Credit Card Battery is excepted from
Dangerous Goods regulation which significantly reduces the cost and complexity
associated with transportation. Both
batteries are supplied with comprehensive technical back-up and a number of
useful accessories which enable the OEM designer to easily integrate the
battery into the device system.
“The
crux of all of our products is the technical support that goes hand in hand
with them,” explained Neil Oliver, technical marketing manager at Accutronics.
“We believe that our credit card batteries fill a gap in the compact battery
market for a fully-supported, OEM oriented battery solution. Device design
engineers need technical guidance and feedback when they specify battery
products and Accutronics is one of the few companies providing that support as
standard. In addition to this, our excellent quality and delivery performance
complete the service package that will get the device OEM to market quickly and
confidently.”
Credit card batteries ship with a standard
EEPROM set-up, UL94V-0 grey plastic casing, Accutronics labelling and bulk
packaging. These can be customised to meet individual OEM requirements.
The
credit card batteries are part of the ‘Entellion’
range from Accutronics which are smart, innovative portable power products,
designed to meet the emerging needs of professional OEMs and market trends.
