DEMO MANUAL DC1614A LTC4012 High Current High Efficiency Multi-Chemistry Battery Charger with PowerPath Control DESCRIPTION Demonstration circuit 1614 features the LTC4012CUF, a compatible with this charger. The optional DC1223A-B multi-chemistry single battery charger controller with SMBus-to-RS232 Serial port adapter and associated PowerPath control. The input supply voltage is 13.5V to software can be used to monitor a smart battery for dem- 20V and is initially configured for a current limit of 10A. onstration purposes only. Contact your Linear Technology The charger float voltage is programmed by jumpers to representative to order a DC1223A-B. support 1- to 4- series cells of both Li-Ion/Polymer and DC1614 features an optional circuit for sealed lead acid Li-iron phosphate (LiFePO ) at 4.2V/cell and 3.6V/cell, 4 (SLA) batteries for constant-voltage charging with tem- for a total of eight settings. The demo board is initially perature compensation and fast/float voltage toggling. configured for constant-voltage charging of a 12.6V Li-Ion/ DC1614 also features layout for extra components and Polymer battery and constant-current charging at 8A, external gate drivers for improved efficiency at higher though current derating may be necessary due to certain charge currents. operating conditions. This demo board is capable of supporting the LTC4012 and Charging can be enabled/disabled by properly setting LTC4012-3 with a simple IC swap-out. See the Schematic the shutdown jumper. LED indicators for CHG, ICL, ACP, Diagram. and C/10 display the current state of the charger system. Design files for this circuit board are available at Although this charger is not a smart battery charger, a DEMO MANUAL DC1614A QUICK START PROCEDURE Demonstration circuit 1614 is easy to set up to evaluate 7. Turn the load on and adjust as necessary. At 10A input, the performance of LTC4012. Refer to Figure 1 for proper the input current will limit and the ICL LED will turn measurement equipment setup and follow the procedure on. Note that above a certain load setting, depending below. on your V and battery voltage, the charger will start IN to decrease charge current until the system load is 1. With all power off, connect an input power supply consuming all of the current from the input. For 15V capable of more than 10A, system load, battery, and input and 12.6V setting this will occur at about 3.3A. BAT meters as shown in Figure 1. Preset the load to 0A and V to 0V, 0A current limit. The input supply voltage 8. Optionally evaluate the SLA circuit, removing the IN must be greater than the full voltage value of the battery jumper on JP1, as well as R14. The voltage feedback to allow a full charge to take place. network can now be customized to match the battery manufacturers specifications. The SLA circuit can be 2. Connect the jumpers as shown below for normal LED- found in the bottom left-hand corner on the top side indicated operation: of the board. JP2 JP3 JP4 JP5 9. Optionally use the provided DC1223A-B demonstra- Shutdown V Select Internal V LED PWR CC CC tion software to configure and communicate with the THM INT ON ON DC1614A, connecting DC1223A-B as in Figure 1. 3. Connect the system load to V and GND terminals. OUT 10. For improved efficiency at high charge currents, install 4. Connect the jumper JP1 for the specific battery to be additional MOSFETs in Q8 and Q10 positions and/or tested. gate driver circuit transistors and supply capacitors in Q7, Q9, C21, and C25. These components may be 5. Turn the input power supply on, setting the current limit installed on the bottom side of the board. up to 10A. Adjust the voltage to the desired value, up to 20V. 6. Plug in the battery. An industry-standard 5-pin AMP smart battery connector is provided for convenience. The board will automatically charge a battery upon insertion and detection of a thermistor. Optionally set jumper JP2 to ON to charge a battery without a thermistor. dc1614af 2