Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

University of Information Technology

and Communications
College of Engineering
Mobile Communications and Computing Engineering Department
Fourth Grade
Mobile Communication I LAB

Experiment 2: Battery Voltage and Charging

Student Name: ‫شهد محسن حليم‬

Group: ‫ فاطمة صبحي عبد‬- ‫ نور سعد حسن‬- ‫شهد محسن حليم‬
A. Theory:
Mobile communication is one of the most significant battery drainers on
smartphones, second only to browsers and screen usage. The constant communication
with cellular towers, background processes such as syncing notifications, and frequent
data transmission require a considerable amount of energy. When signal reception is
poor, the device consumes even more power to maintain the connection. Additionally,
power amplification during calls and data transfers further increases battery
consumption, making mobile communication a primary factor in power depletion
compared to other activities. This is especially true when combined with activities like
browsing, which adds additional strain[1].

Lithium-ion batteries are the most common choice for smartphones today[2]. The
nominal voltage of a battery, which typically hovers around 3.6 - 3.8 volts for lithium-ion
cells (depending on the chemicals used), The nominal voltage of a battery refers to the
average voltage that a battery cell is expected to operate within during its discharge
cycle. It’s an approximate value used to characterise a battery’s voltage for general
understanding and compatibility with electronic devices. For instance, a battery labelled
as having a nominal voltage of 3.7 volts means that it typically operates around that
voltage level during its discharge (see fig. 1)[3]. The importance of nominal voltage is
underscored by its relationship with other key battery parameters, namely VBAT (Battery
Voltage), VBSI (Battery Size Indicator), and GND (Ground). Which are the parameters we
are to focus on in this experiment (see fig. 2)

Fig. 1: Nominal Voltage Visualisation on a voltage diagram.

 Fig. 2: The key 3 pins of any Li-Ion battery, especially mobile phones’.

1. VBAT: Refers to the voltage supplied by the battery, which is crucial for powering mobile
devices. The battery voltage (𝑉𝐵𝐴𝑇) is closely tied to the nominal voltage, reflecting the
voltage output under normal operating conditions. This relationship can be expressed
theoretically as:

𝑉𝐵𝐴𝑇 = 𝑉𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 − (𝐼×𝑅𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙)

Here, 𝐼 is the current drawn from the battery, and 𝑅𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙​is the internal resistance of
the battery. As the current increases, the internal resistance causes a voltage drop,
leading to a 𝑉𝐵𝐴𝑇 that may be lower than the nominal voltage. Understanding this
relationship is vital for optimising battery performance in mobile communication, where
consistent voltage levels are necessary for reliable operation. In ideal cases, there is no
internal resistance/load. So, 𝑉𝐵𝐴𝑇 is equal to 𝑉𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙[3].

2. VBSI: The Battery Size Indicator (𝑉𝐵𝑆𝐼) signal used by mobile devices to detect and validate
the battery type. It helps the system identify the battery's size, capacity, and chemistry.
The BSI pin is connected to a resistor in the battery pack, and the mobile device uses this
resistance to interpret the battery type and ensure compatibility. This process ensures
the safe operation of the device and prevents potential issues like overcharging or
incompatibility between the battery and the mobile device. It plays a pivotal role in
battery management systems (BMS). The BSI allows devices to adjust their power
consumption dynamically based on the battery's characteristics.

3. GND: Ground (GND) serves as the reference point for all voltage measurements in the
device. Typically set to zero volts, it establishes a baseline against which other voltages,
such as V_BAT and V_BSI, are measured. This fundamental concept is critical for circuit
design and operation, ensuring accurate voltage readings throughout the system.
B. Requirements:
1. The Scientech 2139 4G VoLTE Smartphone Techbook training platform. (see fig. 3)
2. Power Adapter, Power Source and Cables.
3. 4G-enabled SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) Card for the caller.
4. Hands-Free Kit.
5. Voltmeter Measurement Device.

Fig. 3: The Scientech 2139 4G VoLTE Smartphone Techbook training platform.

C. Operating Mode:
The Scientech 2139 Training Techbook works on two operating modes. It could
work on the Battery Mode utilizing the internal battery power. Or it could work by
plugging an external power adapter on the Adapter Mode in which the techbook
remains powered on as long as it is connected to the power source by the AC/DC
adapter. This experiment was carried out using the Adapter Mode to ensure
uninterrupted continuous power supply and because it's less prone to failures compared
to batteries, which can degrade over time or require regular replacement.
D. Operating Condition:
The TechBook Scientech 2139 Understanding 4G VoLTE Smartphone is a unique,
self contained, easy to operate, training and development platform that demonstrates
the complete study and working of a 4G Dual SIM VoLTE handset to understand the
fundamentals of Smartphone.[1]
To start operating the techbook, the AC/DC power adapter should be securely
plugged into the techbook. The switch of the adapter should be On. Then The techbook
powers on by long pressing the power button for a few seconds after making sure that
the operating mode selection switch button is pressed indicating that the current mode
is Adapter Mode; as it is on Battery Mode by default (when the mode button is not
pressed). It starts by showing the logo of scientech on the interface display. After that
you can use the techbook and explore the mobile smartphone and its applications on
the Touch Display GUI running the Android Nougat OS which is very similar to any other
version of Android OS and is very intuitive. You can test the sound by setting an alarm on
the Alarm application for 1 minute after the current time and you will hear the
Buzzer/Speaker as well as the vibrator ringing 1 minute later. That is useful to ensure
that the Smartphone can ring successfully with no faults in the device. To make sure the
device runs successfully for mobile communication purposes, we can do a test call to
check – By following the procedure steps of Experiment 1. (see fig. 4)

Fig. 4: Test Calling To Check Communication Operation.

 E. Procedure:
1. Set up the Voltmeter to 20 (because values up to 20v is what is expected).
2. Connect the black wire of the Voltmeter to the ground pin of the circuit that falls
right underneath the Dual SIM group. (see fig. 5)
3. Connect the red wire of the Voltmeter to each of the three pins of the techbook
13, 14, 15, that corresponds to VBAT, VBSI, and GND respectively. (check the table
below)
4. Record the observed experimental values.

Fig. 5: Circuit Ground Pin.

Theoretically, the values of the pins are as follows:

Pin Name Theoretical Voltage Measured Parameter Test Pin

VBAT 3. 7𝑣 ∓ 5𝑣 Battery Voltage 13

VBSI 1𝑣 (when charging) Battery Size Indicator 14

GND 0𝑣 Battery Ground 15

F. Results:
The following table includes the values that was observed checking the voltage of each
of the 3 pins:

Pin Experimental Voltage Discussion

VBAT 4. 73𝑣 (fig. 6) Due to the reason that the operating mode is Adapter
Mode and not Battery Mode, a value higher than the
theoretical voltage was observed. Because the adapter
provides higher voltage than the internal battery.

VBSI 0. 01𝑣 (fig. 7) This pin’s voltage is expected to be equal to 1𝑣 when

charging. But, because in this experiment we relied on
the adapter power, and the device wasn’t charging, we
got a very much lower value.

GND 0. 00𝑣 (fig. 8) Ground voltage is 0𝑣 as expected.

Fig. 6: VBAT Voltage Reading.

Fig. 7: VBSI Voltage Reading.

Fig. 8: GND Voltage Reading.

G. Conclusion:
In this experiment, we explored the key voltage parameters that influence battery
performance in mobile devices, focusing on VBAT, VBSI, and GND. The theoretical and
experimental analysis highlighted the significance of these voltages in ensuring efficient
power management in smartphones.

The VBAT parameter, representing the battery voltage, is closely related to the
nominal voltage of the battery. It is crucial for powering mobile devices and varies
slightly under different load conditions due to the internal resistance of the battery. The
theoretical and measured values showed that, in Adapter Mode, VBAT is higher than in
normal battery operation, due to the higher voltage supplied by the adapter.

VBSI plays a pivotal role in battery management by helping the system identify the
battery’s size, type, and chemistry. This ensures compatibility and safety during charging.
The observed deviation in VBSI from the theoretical value was attributed to the use of an
adapter instead of actual battery charging.

Finally, GND served as the reference point for all voltage measurements, and its
value was as expected, confirming the integrity of the circuit.

The experiment might not have been conducted as it was supposed to due to the limited
resources and not being able to use battery mode and see in-action the actual values of
the three pins but that does not make the experiment any less knowledgeable. It
provides valuable insights on battery voltages and charging.

H. References:
[1]: Ferreira, Denzil & Kostakos, Vassilis. (2011). Understanding Human-Smartphone
Concerns: A Study of Battery Life. Pervasive. 19-33. 10.1007/978-3-642-21726-5_2
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225256651_Understanding_Human-Smartph
one_Concerns_A_Study_of_Battery_Life
[2]:
https://www.dignited.com/53866/why-most-smartphone-devices-use-lithium-ion-batter
ies/
[3]: https://www.ufinebattery.com/blog/type-of-lithium-battery-voltage/
[4]: https://youtu.be/sM2ss-EvAco?si=_lLLGYRD6fpAupEh