This Single-Cell Fuel Gauge Is Smaller Than a Penny
Low Power Solutions' new lithium-ion/polymer fuel gauge is built around the LC709203F IC.
There’s a new fuel gauge on the market, and it’s supposed to be the tiniest available. Lower Power Solutions recently developed the smallest single-cell fuel gauge built around ON Semiconductor's LC709203F IC. So, what does this mean? The board is a single lithium-ion/polymer battery that measures the battery’s Relative State of Charge (RSOC) using a unique algorithm called HG-CVR. This algorithm doesn’t require a sense resistor and provides accurate RSOC information even under unstable conditions.
The micro cell fuel gauge can measure several parameters, including cell voltage, cell temperature, and RSOC. It’s even equipped with an onboard thermistor for cell temperature monitoring. Programming the cell is relatively simple. It employs the I2C interface to interact with the host. Arduino-compatible boards can use the Adafruit library to install the program directly from the Arduino IDE library manager.
The cell fuel gauge can be used for various small electronics, such as wireless handsets, smartphones, USB-related devices, MP3 players, and digital cameras. The kit for the fuel gauge is available for purchase for only $7 – not a bad deal.