MD&M East gets charged over charger

~ Accutronics launches Entellion credit card battery charger at East Coast’s largest medical technology show ~

International battery manufacturer Accutronics will join thousands of medical industry suppliers and service providers at MD&M East, on June 10-12 in New York, where the British company will launch an innovative desktop charger for its groundbreaking credit card battery range. 

The new charger, called the CX6100, is the perfect accessory for charging Entellion CC2300 and CC3800 credit card batteries. The single bay desktop charger has a rapid charge capability and can be used around the world, thanks to its wall mounted power supply, which is delivered complete with various interchangeable AC blades. Credit card batteries and chargers are pre-tooled and pre-qualified and therefore get device OEMs to market faster.

Accutronics’ credit card battery range provides OEMs with a rechargeable range of off-the-rack Lithium Ion professional batteries for portable and wearable medical devices.

The CX6100 charges a CC2300 battery in around 3.5 hours and a CC3800 battery in around 5.5 hours. LED indicators on the charger provide the charge status. Powered by an AC/DC power supply, it comes with adapters for use in the USA, Europe, UK, Australia and China.

“As with all our products, we’ve designed this charger specifically for OEMs,” explained Accutronics managing director Rob Phillips. “A good example of our understanding of an OEM’s needs is our ability to produce customised versions for customers with very little additional cost. Once the custom design is agreed we will not modify the fit, form or function of the battery or charger without our customer’s prior knowledge and express permission. This gives the OEM the confidence that it will always remain compliant with their device and prevents any regulatory compliance or quality issues.”

The range of credit card batteries that the unit charges have been tested to and meet the requirements of the UN Model Regulations and the Manual of Tests and Criteria (ST/SG/AC.10.11 §38.3), meaning they are ready to be offered for transportation without any additional testing or expense.

The battery range also meets the requirements of IEC62133:2002 and a CB test certificate is available upon request. Compliance to this standard is becoming a requirement for many devices and is already mandatory for medical instruments certified to EN60601-1 third edition.

The charger itself is certified to UL60950-1 and is CE marked. As with Accutronics’ credit card batteries, the CX6100 can be modified to meet specific OEM requirements. Supplied in cool gray as standard, the case colour, labelling and packaging can all be customised.

Cell Balancing: Better Safe than Sorry

Click here to read an excellent blog post from Texas Instruments on cell balancing - this is something that Accutronics fully support and implement on all of our new Lithium ion designs. It seems that there are still some folks who think it is not nesessary. If you are one of them then please read the TI Blog and feel free to drop me an email to discuss your battery requirements..

Neil

Things you thought you knew about batteries

They are the most readily available source of power for our army of portable devices. They provide us with precious energy, right down to the last milliamp. They are invariably unavailable in your local garage on Christmas Day. I am, of course, talking about batteries. But what do we really know about the professional application of this most ubiquitous of products? Here we bust some myths and shed some light on the most commonly held misconceptions about batteries in professional applications.

1. I need to fully charge my new device before first usage - FALSE

First you spend countless hours in the shops hunting down the perfect device, it may be a new laptop, phone or camera. You rush home, rip away the packaging like an excited child on Christmas morning and turn on your device, only to find instructions telling you to 'ensure the battery is fully charged before first use'.

The same is true in many professional applications, with even experienced end users still believing they need to charge the device fully before first use.

Whilst this was true once, the advent of modern Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology means that devices can be used straight away without harming the battery.

So why do many manufacturers still print the warning? It seems this is a marketing and reputation management tactic more than anything else; to ensure that customers have the most engaging first interaction. That wouldn't be the case if your battery died within five minutes of use!

However, the nature of Li-ion batteries means that certain precautions do have to be taken during the shipping process. Li-ion batteries must retain a minimum charge to prevent them becoming unstable. When not in use, the onboard microcontroller, which itself consumes around 5% of charge per year, ensures that the battery is turned off before complete discharge.

Conversely, shipping a fully charged battery can also be dangerous as such a high volume of energy is not safe during transit or good for battery cells. This is why most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) charge batteries to around 50% for transit.

Here at Accutronics, we use a special sleep-mode for shipping. This ensures that the battery exhibits negligible power consumption during shipping, recovering full functionality when first powered on. If you want to know more about it, get in touch.

Accutronics' credit card battery provides vital power to portable medical devices

2. I must discharge my battery fully, before recharging each time - FALSE

This myth was a reality in the 70s and 80s when Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) and Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries were commonly used. The active materials used in these batteries meant that, when put on charge, a cell's capacity was limited to the previous discharge level. This problem was overcome by fully discharging the battery each time.

The memory effect has been all but eradicated with the use of modern Li-ion batteries, which should only be discharged to around 20% before being recharged.

This doesn't mean that batteries don't degrade over time. A typical Li-ion battery has around 300-500 optimum cycles before it starts to lose capacity. However it is not necessary to start each cycle after a full charge and discharge. A cycle can equally go between half full and half empty; how's that for philosophical battery debate!

So, it turns out that some of the things you thought you knew about batteries were false and some of those myths actually create more questions than they provide answers. If you want to really get to the bottom of how to charge, transport and manage batteries in professional and medical applications, get in touch. We have a whole team of myth busters ready to help.

Erneute Spitzenleistung des Akkuherstellers

~ Accutronics erhält Zertifizierung nach Qualitätsnorm ISO 13845:2003 ~

Der internationale Akkuhersteller Accutronics wurde im Februar 2014 mit dem Qualitätssiegel ISO 13845:2003 ausgezeichnet. Das Unternehmen hat die Zertifizierung für das Design, die Herstellung und das Testen von Akkuprodukten und Akkuladegeräten für medizinische Geräte erhalten.

ISO 13485:2003 basiert auf der Qualitätsnorm ISO 9001, deren Anforderungen Accutronics bereits seit mehreren Jahren erfüllt. ISO 13485:2003 ist jedoch weitaus spezialisierter und auf die Herstellung medizinischer Geräte ausgerichtet.

Die neue Norm legt die Anforderungen an ein Qualitätsmanagementsystem fest. Hersteller müssen nachweisen, dass ihre medizinischen Komponenten die Anforderungen der zuständigen Behörden und der Kunden erfüllen.

ISO 13485:2003 enthält eine zusätzliche Verpflichtung zur kontinuierlichen Verbesserung, die über die Anforderungen von ISO 9001 hinausgeht. Die Hauptunterschiede sind die Design- und Rückverfolgbarkeitsverfahren sowie ein zusätzlicher Schwerpunkt auf Lieferantenaudits.

„Wir setzen uns unermüdlich dafür ein, neue und verbesserte Akkus für medizinische Geräte zu entwickeln, die in Krankenhäusern auf der ganzen Welt dazu beitragen, Leben zu retten,“ erklärte Matt Simcock, Qualitätsmanager bei Accutronics. „Dieses Gütesiegel ist bei der Zusammenarbeit mit OEMs ein wichtiges Instrument zur Vertrauensbildung.“

„Wir haben vor zwölf Monaten begonnen, uns auf die Zertifizierung gemäß ISO 13845:2003 vorzubereiten. Am Anfang war es für uns etwas Neues, aber dank der Unterstützung unseres starken Teams konnten wir uns innerhalb äußerst kurzer Zeit zertifizieren lassen.“

„Als Qualitätsmanager hatte ich die Aufgabe, Verfahren für die Design- und Herstellungsteams zu erstellen. Außerdem musste ich mich mit Rückverfolgbarkeit und Nachhaltigkeit befassen. Es ist ein großartiges Endergebnis, mit dem ich wirklich sehr zufrieden bin,“ so Matt Simcock.

„Der Erhalt des Gütesiegels ISO 13845:2003 für die Qualität unserer Design-, Herstellungs- und Testverfahren hat allen Mitarbeitern des Unternehmens immensen Auftrieb gegeben,“ kommentierte Rob Phillips, Managing Director von Accutronics. „Die neuen Verfahren und internen Prüfungen haben zu schlankeren Herstellungsverfahren geführt, und wir sehen jetzt auch erste Auswirkungen auf unseren Gewinn. Darüber hinaus befinden wir uns jetzt bei Ausschreibungen und Verkaufsgesprächen in einer noch besseren Position,“ meinte er abschließend.

Juiced-up at Med-Tech

It's that time of year again, when Accutronics helps the medical device industry get juiced-up on the latest developments in battery design, development and manufacturing. We are, of course, exhibiting today at Med-Tech Innovation 2014. The conference, which runs from 2-3 April at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, showcases the best in medical device manufacturing. So make sure to come along to stand 19 to find out more!

Now in its second year, Med-Tech Innovation Expo caters for all areas of the industry, from components, consultancy and design, to manufacturing, materials and testing. This year's event has been host to some great speakers; notable presentations include, managing challenges in the supply chain, human factors in design, manufacturability and the business benefits of apprentices.

One of the events that really got our own juices flowing was the human factors presentation on day one. In it Matthew Theobald spoke about collaborative design, where user feedback is increasingly influencing design earlier in the process. This is now being used by regulatory authorities such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a benchmark for safe development going forward.

Today’s presentation by Dr. Phil Breedon of Nottingham Trent University, which discussed how Medical Technologies are transforming lives, was also hugely informative.

As well as listening to the speakers, we're also exhibiting a really exciting range of batteries and services. Accupro is our custom battery and charger design and manufacturing service, which integrates seamlessly into OEM device development programmes. To ensure that custom solutions are delivered on time and on budget, we use our well-proven project management process.

Our Accupro service is great when standard off-the-shelf batteries will not suffice. Instead of instigating a costly product design modification process, we can work closely with you to provide a low weight, minimal volume and easy to use battery solution.

If your needs revolve around smart, innovative and portable power products, our Entellion range is for you. Designed, developed and manufactured at Accutronics, this group of products is certified to the highest European standards and is available off-the-shelf or customised for your application.

First in the range is the Entellion credit card battery, which is ideal for portable and wearable medical device applications. Next we have the Entellion Intelligent Power Vault, a Lithium-ion multi-battery power system for more demanding industrial applications. Last, but not least, is our Entellion VR Series, a high energy smart battery, which offers accurate fuel gauging for mission critical electronic devices.

So, no matter whether you looking to get your own creative juices flowing with a conversation about your next application or whether you want to juice up your products with one of our off the shelf power sources, come along to stand 19. You are always welcome.

Battery firm makes excellence a habit

~ Accutronics receives ISO 13845: 2003 quality standard ~ 

In February, international battery manufacturer Accutronics was awarded the ISO 13845: 2003 quality standard. The company received the accreditation for the design, manufacturing and testing of battery products and battery chargers for medical devices. 

ISO 13485:2003 is underpinned by the ISO9001 quality standard, which Accutronics has had in place for several years. However, it is significantly more specialised and dedicated to the medical device manufacturing sector.

The new standard specifies requirements for a quality management system in which manufacturers have to demonstrate the provision of medical components that satisfy customer and regulatory requirements.

ISO 13485:2003 details additional commitment to continual improvement, above and beyond the requirements of ISO 9001. The major differences are the design and traceability procedures as well as an additional focus on supplier audits.

“We’ve been working tirelessly to develop new and improved batteries for medical devices that help save lives in hospitals across the globe,” explained Matt Simcock, quality manager at Accutronics. “However, for some of the OEMs we work with, this stamp of approval is essential for building trust.

“This caused us to start working towards ISO 13845: 2003 twelve months ago. It was new to us in the beginning, but thanks to the strong and supportive team we have here, we achieved the accreditation in a very short period of time.

“As quality manager I had the task of creating procedures for the design and manufacturing teams and looking at traceability and sustainability issues. The end result is remarkable and I couldn’t be happier,” he enthused.

“Gaining the ISO 13845: 2003 stamp for the quality of our designs, manufacturing and testing procedures was a huge boost for everyone in the company,” said Rob Phillips managing director of Accutronics. “The new procedures and internal audits have made us a leaner manufacturer and we’re starting to see the results on the bottom line. What’s more, we are now in an even better position during tenders and sales meetings,” he concluded.

What are Smart Batteries & how can they be of use to your portable device?

Rob Phillips, CEO of battery consultancy Accutronics, gives a brief overview of Smart Batteries, Smart Chargers, and the System Management Bus, and their advantages as power solutions for portable products…

Batteries can be viewed as living beings with their environment and treatment directly affecting their performance. Batteries that are overcharged or exist at elevated temperatures often exhibit a shortened life, whilst those that are treated carefully can provide many years of maintenance free performance.

In order to charge batteries appropriately, it is necessary to have a method of understanding the charge state of the battery. This has to be balanced with extracting the maximum discharge and lifetime from the battery, so as to also offer value-for-money. 

Appropriate battery specification is therefore of paramount importance to portable device designers. However one type of battery solution; smart batteries, which have been on the market for a while now, can radically simplify the process of battery specification, while dramatically reducing risk.

 

What are smart batteries, and how do they work?

 

Smart batteries are intended to be integrated into portable devices as part of a wider ‘smart power management system’. This will typically include a smart battery, a smart charger, and a systems management bus (SMBus) for communicating between the different elements.

 

In a traditional portable device setup, any battery featured is simply a ‘dumb’, chemical power cell. Battery metering, assessment of remaining capacity, and any decisions taken regarding power usage, are informed entirely by the readings ‘taken’ by the host device. Such readings are largely guesswork, and are typically based on the amount of voltage passing from the battery through the host device, or, (less accurately), through readings taken through a Coulomb Counter in the host.

 

In a smart power management system, however, the battery is able to ‘tell’ the host, with a high degree of accuracy, how much power it has left, and how it wishes to be charged.

 

In general, the battery, smart charger and the host device communicate with each other to maximise product safety, efficiency and performance. For example, smart batteries only request charge when they require it, rather than placing a constant, steady ‘drain’ on the host system. Hence smart batteries charge more efficiently.

 

Smart batteries can also maximise the ‘runtime per discharge’ cycle by telling their host device when to shut down based on its own assessment of its remaining capacity. This method is vastly superior to ‘dumb’ systems that use a fixed voltage cut-off.

 

Hence host portable systems that use smart battery technology can provide accurate, meaningful runtime information to users. This is obviously of vital importance in mission critical devices where power failure is not an option.

 

Gauging and adaptation

 

Smart batteries constantly track their own capacity whether they are being charged, discharged or stored. Battery capacity is reported in milli-ampere hours (mAh) to a resolution of 1mAh. The real capacity is reported in both mAh and as a percentage, (of the original design capacity and of the last time the battery was charged).

 

Certain correction factors are employed by the battery fuel gauge to adjust for changes in, for example, battery temperature, its charge rate, its discharge rate, etc. Smart battery gauges also tend to be adaptive, modifying the adjustments they  make as the battery ages and its chemical properties and ability to hold charge change.

 

As a result, smart batteries can usually predict their capacity to within ±1%, (a major advantage when compared to the ±20% accuracy found in products employing ‘dumb’ batteries).

 

Smart batteries can also extend the useful life of a battery by modifying their charging algorithm based on changing environmental conditions: Batteries can be damaged if they are charged whilst they are very cold or very warm. Smart batteries will therefore reduce the charge current while the battery is warm to reduce the potential for damage, and prevent charging altogether if the battery is exceptionally cold or hot.

 

Standardised communications and future proofing

 

Smart batteries maximise charge efficiency and safety by requesting their own charge voltage and current from a compatible smart charger. This method ensures that batteries are only charged when they need to be, and at the most appropriate voltage and current.

 

Being ‘SMBus (System Management Bus) and SBDS (Smart Battery Data Specification) compliant’ means that smart batteries comply with an open standard that is easily accessible by OEM device developers.

 

The SBS (Smart Battery System) specification, and the accompanying SMBus spec were originally created by Duracell and Intel in 1994, and involve carrying battery information over a two-wire communication bus. Along with the SBCS (Smart Battery Charger Specification) and the SBSMC (Smart Battery System Manager Specification), the SBS standard describes all of the information that can be communicated between smart batteries, chargers and host devices.

 

As a result of its on-going communication of status, charge profile, etc., a smart power system is able to future proof a product’s power supply: Should newer battery technologies be developed (with, for example, higher storage capacities and different charging regimes), these new batteries can simply be ‘swapped out’ without having to replace the chargers in the field. The existing chargers will simply receive different charging instructions from the batteries and adapt accordingly.

 

This simple fact frequently makes Smart Power Systems more economical in the long run, particularly in the case of medical equipment that is highly expensive, or for which maximised battery life is crucial, (in the case, for example, of Anaesthesia workstations, ventilators and remote patient monitoring).

 

Ease of integration

 

Interestingly, we’ve found that customers tend to imagine they’ll need to do lots of work to make batteries work in their system.

 

The reality, however, is that electronic component manufacturers such as Texas Instruments and Linear Technology have produced excellent and largely reliable, highly-integrated reference designs for their smart charger and power management ICs. These reference designs make the integration of a smart battery pretty easy. In addition, the openness of the various communications protocols make life easy for device software engineers to interrogate the batteries and extract useful information, such as remaining capacity, runtime to empty, cycle life, etc.

 

Powering ahead

 

Despite coming with a small associated cost-add, smart batteries and smart charging systems tick the right boxes for many portable devices, with clear advantages in terms of life, charge, safety and future proofing.

 

The market for smart charging systems is now fairly mature. However the option of implementing smart charging systems is overlooked by designers surprisingly frequently. Also, the battery life and level of adaptability that designers can expect to afford from specific smart power technologies are always changing. I’d always, therefore, recommend that designers engage with a credible third-party battery specialist in order to ensure that they specify the most appropriate smart charging solution for their device.