Precision Amplifiers for

Battery Test Systems

Series Overview
Precision Amplifiers

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Series Agenda
• Series overview • Drivers and buffers
– Testing theory – Driver (power amplifier)
– Charge/discharge cycles – Buffers (design dependent)
• Current sensing • Simulation and results
– Important specs – TINA-TI simulation
• Voltage sensing – CC/CV accuracy results
– Important specs – Load regulation results

• Control loops
– CC control loop theory
– CV control loop theory
– Important specs

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CC and CV Control Precision

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Battery Test Theory Overview
• For a single Li+/LiPo battery cell, there is a maximum battery
voltage called the “regulation voltage” that represents the
upper charging limit (usually ~4.2V, depending on the battery).
There is also a minimum battery voltage called the “threshold
voltage” that establishes the lower discharging limit (usually
~2.8V, any lower will damage the battery).
• For the purposes of this discussion, we will focus on
charging/discharging only one single-cell LiPo battery
• Three main kinds of tests can be performed:
– Battery formation – initialization charge/discharge cycle
required for battery to store energy properly and to be graded
– Loop & Feature test – repeated charge/discharge cycles to
verify battery life and reliability are within tolerance
– Functional test – test to make sure battery works properly
before packaging

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 Battery Charging/Discharging Cycles
CV Mode (High Limit)

CV Mode (Low Limit)

CHARGING

DISCHARGING

• When the battery is charging/discharging at a fixed current, we call this constant current
(CC) mode.
• When the battery voltage nears the regulation or threshold voltage, constant voltage (CV)
mode takes over and current rolls off until the charging cycle is terminated

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System Overview
Summary System Block Diagram
In a battery test system…
• The battery cell test unit houses the
constant current and constant voltage control
loops.
• The precision monitoring unit collects
battery voltage and current and provides
feedback to the controller.

The battery tester accuracy is impacted by:

• INA used in current sensing
• Precision amplifiers used as buffers
• CC/CV error amplifiers

A typical battery test circuit will utilize a

buck/boost converter or a switching power
supply & AC/DC power converter to drive
charge/discharge of battery, but power
amplifiers can be used for low-current and
low-cost applications
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Precision Amplifiers for
Battery Test Systems
Current Sensing
Precision Amplifiers

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Battery Current Sensing
Socket Function System Block Diagram
Function – measure battery
charge/discharge current via shunt resistor.
• Typical shunt values are around 0.5Ω,
smaller shunts require higher gain to make
full use of dynamic range of amplifier
• Accurate current measurement is crucial –
used for calculating battery capacity,
battery impedance, and even for battery
health metrics

Typically done with an INA (Instrumentation

Amplifier) – benefits over integrated shunt
current sense amplifiers include:
• High input impedance
• Noise performance
• Gain optimization / configurability

Example product – INA188

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Important Specs for Current Sensing
• Steady-state offsets may be accounted • Linearity – it is very important
for the calibration. In this case, drift and the amplifier has good gain
linearity become the main error sources. linearity, in order to maintain a
• Offset temperature drift causes flat response across a wide
offset errors to worsen with range of load currents
increased temperature
• Bandwidth – want enough BW
• Bias current drift increases input for the loop to update quickly, but
bias current IR drop across the not so much that high-frequency
current limiting resistors, worsening noise from nearby devices
at higher temperatures becomes a problem
• Gain error drift causes gain error to
change with increased temperature • Noise – oversampling can
• Shunt resistance drifts - high reduce the effect of broadband
resistor tolerance and low drift are noise, but 1/f noise cannot be
essential for robust accuracy averaged out

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Precision Current Sensing Devices
Recommended Devices
Highest BW Mid BW
Lowest Drift
Low Noise Lower Power

Specifications INA821 INA818/9 INA188

Vs min/max (V) 4.5/36 4.5/36 4/36
Max Gain Nonlinearity (ppm, G=1) 10 10 8
GBW (MHz) (G=1) 4.7 2 0.6
Slew Rate (V/µs) 2.1 0.9 0.9
Vos max (µV) 35 35 55
Drift (Max) (µV/C) 0.4 0.4 0.2
CMRR (Max Gain) (Min) (dB) 140 140 118
Iq typ (mA) 0.6 0.35 1.6
1/f Input Voltage Noise (µVpp) 0.14 0.19 0.25
Ibias (Max) (nA) 0.5 0.5 2.5
Gain Error (% Max) 0.15 0.15 0.5
Gain Drift (ppm/°C) 35 35 50
Added Features ± 40 OVP ± 60 OVP RFI-Filtered
Technologies Super-beta Super-beta Zero-drift
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Precision Amplifiers for
Battery Test Systems
Voltage Sensing
Precision Amplifiers

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 Battery Voltage Sensing
Socket Function System Block Diagram
Function – Precisely monitor the voltage
across the battery terminals

• Accurate voltage measurement ensures

the tester does not over-charge or over-
discharge the battery (exceed the
regulation voltage or go below the
threshold voltage)
• Op amp selection depends on system
accuracy requirements

Example product – OPA188, INA188

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4-Lead Wire Battery Voltage Sense
Referenced to DAC
• Sense leads to the terminals are ground to reduce
possibility of ground
monitored for battery voltage offset/bounce
measurement, instead of the
connections to the driver output
From battery
• This 4-wire remote sensing reduces sense lead +
To CV loop
voltage offset error because the From battery
charge/discharge current does not sense lead -

pass through the sense leads, which

only look into the high-impedance
inputs of the amplifier. Therefore the
only I*R drop across the current
limiting resistors is due to the input
bias current
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Important Specs for Battery Voltage Sense
• Offset voltage results in • Input offset current
incorrect measurement of battery (IB+ − IB-) results in a
terminals different IR drop on the +/-
IB+ • Offset temperature drift causes inputs, resulting in incorrect
offset errors to worsen as differential measurement
temperature rises across terminals.
• If voltage sense amplifier
• CMRR determines offset error
bias current is high enough
IB- due to common mode voltage
relative to charge/discharge
• Input bias current causes an IR current, some current
drop across the current limiting intended for battery will be
resistors (RLIM), again worsening redirected, reducing current
at higher temperatures measurement accuracy

_ _

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Precision Voltage Sensing Devices
Recommended Devices
Cost Optimized Lowest Widest
Lowest Power Drift Bandwidth
Specifications TLV07 TLV2186 OPAx188 OPAx182 OPAx189
Vs min/max (V) 2.7 / 36 4.5 / 24 4 / 36 4.5 / 36 4.5 / 36
CMRR typ (dB) 120 134 146 168 168
GBW (MHz) 1 0.75 2 5 14
Slew Rate (V/µs) 0.4 0.35 0.8 10 20
Vos max @ 25C (mV) 0.1 0.25 0.025 0.004 0.005
Drift typ (µV/C) 0.9 0.1 0.03 0.003 0.007
Rail-to-Rail Out In, Out In to V-, Out Out In to V-, Out
Iq typ (mA) 0.95 0.09 0.425 0.85 1.3
Vn (nV/√Hz) 19 38 8.8 5.7 5.2
IBias typ (pA) 40 100 160 50 70
Operating Temperature (°C) -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125
Technology - Zero-drift Zero-drift Zero-drift Zero-drift

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Precision Amplifiers for
Battery Test Systems
Control Loops
Precision Amplifiers

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CC/CV Control Loops
Socket Function System Block Diagram
Function:
• The CC/CV control loops need high-
precision error amplifiers to calibrate the
target signal.
• Due to the high current of this application,
changes in temperature due to dissipated
heat will have an effect on the
performance of this board. The input
offset voltage drift is a key parameter to
consider when choosing the amplifier
• Mux-friendly devices are best, as the
amplifiers’ inputs often see a significant
differential voltage

Example product – OPA189

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Current Control Loop Example
From driver To battery
• Output of current sense amp feeds back to
current error amplifier, which calibrates the
ISET_OUT output relative to the specified
CC_SET level from the DAC
• For CC_SET < VREF/2, the battery will
discharge down to the threshold voltage.
• For CC_SET > VREF/2, the battery will charge
up to the regulation voltage. The delta
between CC_SET and VREF/2 determines the
To driver
drive current for charge or discharge.
• In example shown, CC_SET ranges from 0V
min to 5V max, and VREF/2 = 2.5V

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 Upper Limit Detection in Control Loop
• To support both charge and discharge, CV Low Control
both a CV High and CV Low control
Sets threshold
loop are needed. voltage

• During charging, when battery voltage

nears regulation voltage, CV High
“turns on” to counter the CC loop.
• VSETH_OUT falls to a diode drop Sets regulation
below the desired battery voltage. voltage

• VSETL_OUT is low so D2 is off, and To Driver

CV High overpowers the CC control

loop amplifier to set the driver voltage
CV High Control
FB from local or remote sense Output of CC
battery measurement amplifier control loop

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 Lower Limit Detection in Control Loop
• When battery voltage nears the CV Low Control
threshold voltage during discharge, CV
Sets threshold
Low activates to stop further discharge voltage

and hold battery voltage at threshold.

• VSETL_OUT rises to a diode drop
above the desired battery voltage.
• VSETH_OUT is railed to VCC so D1 is Sets regulation
off, and CV Low overpowers the CC voltage

control loop to set the driver voltage To Driver

CV High Control
FB from local or remote sense Output of CC
battery measurement amplifier control loop

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Precision Control Loop Devices
Recommended Devices
Mux-Friendly

e-TrimTM Zero-Drift
e-TrimTM
Lowest system cost Higher Widest
Low Cost
Performance Bandwidth
Specifications TLV07 TLV2186 OPAx197 OPAx192 OPAx189
Vs min (V) 2.7 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Vs max (V) 36 24 36 36 36
GBW (MHz) 1 0.75 10 10 14
Slew Rate (V/µs) 0.4 0.35 20 20 20
Vos max @ 25C (mV) 0.1 0.25 0.1 0.025 0.005
Drift typ (µV/C) 0.9 0.1 0.5 0.15 0.007
Rail-to-Rail Out In, Out In, Out In, Out In to V-, Out
Iq typ (mA) 0.95 0.09 1 1 1.3
Vn (nV/√Hz) 19 38 5.5 5.5 5.2
IBias (Typ) (pA) 40 100 5 5 70
Operating Temperature (°C) -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125

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Precision Amplifiers for
Battery Test Systems
Drivers and Buffers
Precision Amplifiers

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 Power Amp Driver (Optional - Design Dependent)
Socket Function System Block Diagram
Function – The driver should be chosen based
on the current needs of the application and the
supply voltages available. The supplies are
often set much higher than the maximum
battery voltage – this added headroom may be
necessary to force a given current value

• Consider the thermal dissipation of the

device when designing a high-current BTS
system. Designing beyond 1A can be quite
difficult due to self-heating
• Consider selecting a device with built-in
current limiting features

Example product – ALM2402F

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Precision Power Amp Devices
Recommended Devices
Smallest Package
Highest Output Current Drive
Lowest system cost

Specifications TLV4110/1 TLV4112/3 ALM2402F-Q1 OPA564

Num Channels 1 1 2 1
Vs min (V) 2.5 2.5 4.5 7
Vs max (V) 6 6 16 24
Output Current Drive (mA) 320 320 400 1500
Operating Temperature (°C) -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 85
Protection Protection
Additional Features Shutdown Pin Shutdown Pin
Features Features

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 DAC Op Amp Buffer (Optional - Design Dependent)
Socket Function System Block Diagram
Function – Precision amps may be used to
buffer/gain up the DAC control outputs to
change the output range of the DAC and set
the reference voltage

• This is design dependent – if DAC outputs

look into high impedance inputs of control
amplifiers, buffers not likely necessary.
However, some DACs such as current
output DACs may require buffering
• The VREF/2 current sense reference voltage
may be achieved locally by using a precision
device to buffer a high-tolerance voltage
divider between the DAC supplies

Example product – OPA188

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Precision Buffer Devices
Recommended Devices
CMOS, e-TrimTM Bipolar, Super-beta Zero-drift

Lowest
Higher Lowest Lowest
Low Cost noise, wide
Performance power offset & drift
BW
Specifications OPAx197 OPAx192 OPAx205 OPAx210 OPAx189
Vs min (V) 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Vs max (V) 36 36 36 36 36
GBW (MHz) 10 10 3.6 18 14
Slew Rate (V/µs) 20 20 4 6.4 20
Vos max @ 25C (mV) 0.1 0.025 0.025 0.035 0.005
Drift typ (µV/C) 0.5 0.15 0.1 0.5 0.007
Rail-to-Rail In, Out In, Out Out Out In to V-, Out
Iq typ (mA) 1 1 0.22 2.2 1.3
Vn (nV/√Hz) 5.5 5.5 7.2 2.2 5.2
IBias (Typ) (pA) 5 5 200 300 70
Operating Temperature (°C) -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125 -40 to 125

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Precision Amplifiers for
Battery Test Systems
Simulation and Results
Precision Amplifiers

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Power Amp Charging/Discharging System Overview
Power Amp
Shunt
CV low
control loop
Driver Sense leads

Control CV high
Current sense
DAC control loop
amplifier Voltage sense
amplifier

CC control
loop
µC Control ADC

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Example Circuit

CV control loop

Driver
Battery current measurement

CC control loop

Battery voltage measurement

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Example Simulation

CC Charge

CC Discharge
CV Low
CV High

Initial value 2.8V

Regulation level 4.2V Threshold level 2.8V

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Hardware Solution

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CC and CV Control Precision

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CC Precision vs Battery Voltage

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