SLA battery charger

30 September 2009 Power Electronics / Power Management

Silvertel’s Ag102 is a battery charger module for sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries. It is simple to use and requires only 2–3 additional components for operation.

In order to maximise battery lifetime, battery manufacturers recommend using multistage charging to reduce the stress on the battery while giving the shortest possible charge time. The recommended three-state charging process requires constant-current bulk charge, constant-voltage bulk charge and constant-voltage trickle charge to the battery, depending on the battery charge state. Additional difficulties arise when battery temperature is taken into account, as this alters the charging requirements of the battery.

In addition to providing the recommended three-state charging and temperature compensation outlined above, the Ag102 needs no extra supply rail to supply the battery charger, as it has a wide input range of 9–36 V. It uses an intermittent float charge to top up the battery, which prevents over-charging and saves energy. The unit has a high efficiency of 86%, and also monitors the battery condition and warns when the battery is below capacity.

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