Description

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We’ve got batteries on board! They are integral to the power system so we don’t want to damage or overuse them. That’s where this component comes in. We want a nice component that communicates through I2C communication to balance the power coming through the system across our batteries (2 strings of 2 in series; 4 in total).

Requirements

Resources

Tasks

A list of sequential tasks for the chapter - the chapter is complete when all tasks are complete

• [x] Research about cell balancing and standard battery protection methods on cubesats and/or other devices
• [x] Start researching components and pick the best one! (Best way is to search some keywords from your research or look into ones used on other designs or referenced in articles you read. Then take a look at their datasheets and check out their specs)

Notes

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Understanding the Requirements:

• Cell balancing: making sure that all batteries have the same charge level to maximize lifespan and performance

I2C is a way to communicate with the microcontroller:

• The ‘master’ initiates the communication and the ‘slaves’ respond. So in this case the ‘slave’ is the battery protection integrated component and the master is OBC

Risk of overvoltage:

• happens when the battery accepts more power than it is designed to handle
• results in high temperatures so can cause damage
• In response, the battery protection IC will stop charging the battery if the voltage gets too high