Cheap battery chargers

Batteries are the most common source of DC current and various types of batteries are being used in all kinds of electronic devices ranging from mobiles, tablet...

Oct 25,2022 | Wendy

Batteries are the most common source of DC current and various types of batteries are being used in all kinds of electronic devices ranging from mobiles, tablets, laptops to electric vehicles. There are traditional lead-acid batteries that are used in vehicles and power backup systems in our homes. Then there are modern Li-ion and Li-polymer batteries which are extensively used in portable devices like mobile phones due to their long battery life and lightweight.

Better batteries are being developed through constant research and improvements, which have even better capacity and performance while being more compact and lightweight at the same time. These batteries, however, will not have a long lifespan if they are not used with the proper type of battery charger. This is why it becomes so important to choose the right charger for charging the batteries of your devices.

The process of charging a battery is actually not as simple as it appears. It often involves a number of charging steps that prolong the battery life and helps it maintain good health. There are mainly two types of cheap battery chargers depending on how the charging processes are carried out:

• 1. Standalone battery chargers- In this type of battery chargers, the charging process is completely administered by the charger and is independent of the status of the battery. The charging processes are fixed for the charger no matter what type of battery you use, how much charged it was while being plugged in, or how it is responding to the charging. This type of charger is simpler and cheaper. They are not the best type of cheap battery chargers because to charge a battery properly, the charging process may not be suitable for the battery, leading to a shortening of its life over time.
• 2. Smart battery chargers- A more advanced charging approach is followed by these interactive battery chargers called“smart chargers”. These chargers check how much the battery is initially charged, how it is responding to the charging process, its temperature, and some other aspects. Then, they adjust the charging process for optimized charging. If automatically shuts off the charging in case it detects any abnormalities or overheating issues to prevent any kind of damage to the battery.

The XC6808 IC series, for example, are good examples of smart chargers that are used for Li-ion batteries. After the input is applied to the charger, it starts begins charging the battery in trickle mode i.e. with a current which is 1/10th of the main charging current. If the terminal voltage of the battery is above 2.9 V then the main charging starts, otherwise, it waits for the potential to rise to 2.9 V before starting the main charging. If the terminal voltage of the battery doesn’t rise till that level within half an hour, then it is considered to be an error and the charging is stopped. After the battery is fully charged, further charging is stopped and“charge complete” status is given.

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