Enhanced battery 'gas gauge' keeps its data through glitches

摘要

Texas Instruments' BQ2010 battery-"gas-gauge" IC offers a convenient method for recording available charge stored in a nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal-hydride battery. However, even though plenty of charge remains available, under certain circumstances, transient-current spikes can fool the BQ2010 into registering a discharged battery. For example, spikes can occur when you connect a heating element or a switched-mode regulator containing a high-value input capacitor, or if you momentarily short-circuit the battery's ter- minals while making a connection.