Measuring Batteries in Series

[Arouse1973]

I was involved in a recent thread regarding measuring the individual battery voltage of series connected cells. The original OP didn't have the experience to design or construct anything too complex, so he was looking for an off the shelf solution.

Nothing could be found so he opted for taking the battery off load periodically to check the status of the cells. So I thought I would have ago and I remember years ago reading about using a transformer. So here it is. Fig 1 showing one battery out of a set of series cells. The extra earth connection was added to keep the simulator happy. If measuring any other cell other than the one connected to 0V then this connection is omitted.

The circuit pulses a 1:1 transformer, the voltage seen across the resistor R1 is clamped by the battery voltage minus a diode drop. The output is diode biased to take into account the diode in series with the battery. I get about 50mV error, probably due to the bias current for the diode being out a bit.

You may have seen something similar before, but if not I hope you find this interesting.
Thanks
Adam



Fig 1



Fig 2

 

[Harald Kapp]

Nice circuit, Adam.

 

[Arouse1973]

Neat idea isn't it?
Adam

 

[Harald Kapp]

@Arouse1973 :
Hi Adam, I revisited your little circuit. While trying to understand it in more detail I came across an issue with this part of your explanation:

the voltage seen across the resistor R1 is clamped by the battery voltage minus a diode drop.

I'd say the voltage across N1 is clamped in this way. The voltage across R1 is VG1-V(N1).
It is coincidence that with your choice of a 12 V step and a 6 V battery the output voltage is 6 V, too.
When you step e.g. V1 from 2 V ...10 V in steps of 2 V, you'lll notice that Vout=10 V for V1=2 V, Vout=8 V for V1 = 4 V etc.

 

[Arouse1973]

Hi Harald
Why are you setting VG1 bellow the battery voltage? This is not how the circuit is supposed to work. Do you have the sim of your circuit? Have you tried to change the battery voltage whilst driving the circuit with 12 Volts? Give me some time to have another look, I may have made an error in my circuit.
Adam

 

[Harald Kapp]

Why are you setting VG1 bellow the battery voltage?

Hi Adam,
I didn't step VG1, I stepped V1 (6V in your sim), the battery voltage. The other voltages are as in your sim. I did an LTSPICE simulation and it looks quite o.k. (I had to set the inductance of the transformer windings to >10H, however, otherwise I couldn't get the stepwise waveforms.

I may have made an error in my circuit.

No, I don't think so, just in the interpretation of the result. When you measure Vout-VG1 you get the expected voltages.

 

[Arouse1973]

Ah yes ok. If I remember the original design had the resistor connected to the coil and the coil connected to 0V. This may be where I got confused. Like this I think. .

 

[Harald Kapp]

Hi Adam,
this circuit matches my observations. Thanks for taking the time to check.

Harald

 

[Arouse1973]

Hi Adam,
this circuit matches my observations. Thanks for taking the time to check.

Harald

No probs Harald. Nice to see someone finds something I wrote interesting
Adam