Battery chargers boast source/sink capabilities

The products are in stock at distributor Digi-Key.

Both models feature source/sink capabilities, a bipolar output, and variable output impedance to charge, discharge, or simulate batteries used in portable and wearable electronic devices.

The battery function can be set to charge, discharge, or simulator mode.

In charge mode, these instruments source power with configurable stop conditions. The output can be configured to provide electrical isolation from connected batteries preventing parasitic drain when charging is complete.

In discharge mode, these instruments act as a load to sink power up to 150 W. These two modes are useful for battery charge-discharge cycle testing or evaluating charger circuits under load.

Device manufacturers and design engineers are typically required to evaluate their products under a variety of battery conditions, including different capacity and internal resistance levels.

In simulator mode, the BCS series offers control over these conditions with configurable capacity, voltage, and resistance (IR) points to evaluate device behavior under various simulated battery conditions.

Due to its linear design, this series also serves as a precision DC power supply with exceptional transient response times, high current readback resolution, and low ripple/noise characteristics. The fast output speed setting optimises transient response time while minimizing overshoot and output recovery time to handle rapid load changes.

The single-channel model delivers up to 150 W of output power, while the dual-channel model offers up to 45 W per channel or 90 W combined.

Features and benefits include:

• Source or sink up to 150 W with 2-quadrant operation
• Dual-channel and dual-range operation (BCS6401 only)
• Perform battery charge, discharge, cycling, and simulation tests
• Bidirectional capabilities in battery mode to simulate a rechargeable battery
• Sink current: Up to 5 A
• Bipolar output
• Variable output impedance: 0 Ω to 1 Ω
• Fast load recovery time: <30 µs to minimise overshoot
• Linear regulation with low noise: <3 mV_pp
• High 100 nA current readback resolution
• 4.3 inch colour TFT display

• List programming: Save 20 list mode programs with up to 30 steps each into internal memory
• Internal storage for 20 user-configurable battery charge and simulation profiles with up to 40 steps each
• Rear panel digital voltmeter (DVM)
• Rear output terminals with remote sense
• Min, max, mean, and peak statistics
• USB (USBTMC-compliant) and LAN interfaces supporting SCPI commands
• Overvoltage protection (OVP), overcurrent protection (OCP), overtemperature protection (OTP), and key-lock function

Applications cover:

• Cell phones, tablets, wearable devices, and other IoT devices
• Chargers and charger circuitry
• DC/DC converters