Lithium Ion
Inside a Lithium-ion Laptop Battery Pack and Cell
Lithium-ion battery packs come in all shapes and sizes, but they all look about the same on the inside. If you were to take apart a laptop battery pack (something that we DO NOT recommend because of the possibility of shorting out a battery and starting a fire) you would find the following:
- The lithium-ion cells can be either cylindrical batteries that look almost identical to AA cells, or they can be prismatic, which means they are square or rectangularThe computer, which comprises:
- One or more temperature sensors to monitor the battery temperature
- A voltage converter and regulator circuit to maintain safe levels of voltage and current
- A shielded notebook connector that lets power and information flow in and out of the battery pack
- A voltage tap, which monitors the energy capacity of individual cells in the battery pack
- A battery charge state monitor, which is a small computer that handles the whole charging process to make sure the batteries charge as quickly and fully as possible.
If the battery pack gets too hot during charging or use, the computer will shut down the flow of power to try to cool things down. If you leave your laptop in an extremely hot car and try to use the laptop, this computer may prevent you from powering up until things cool off. If the cells ever become completely discharged, the battery pack will shut down because the cells are ruined. It may also keep track of the number of charge/discharge cycles and send out information so the laptop’s battery meter can tell you how much charge is left in the Toshiba pa3533u-1bas battery.
It’s a pretty sophisticated little computer, and it draws power from the batteries. This power draw is one reason why lithium-ion Toshiba pa3399u-1bas battery lose 5 percent of their power every month when sitting idle.
Lithium-ion Cells
As with most batteries you have an outer case made of metal. The use of metal is particularly important here because the battery is pressurized. This metal case has some kind of pressure-sensitive vent hole. If the battery ever gets so hot that it risks exploding from over-pressure, this vent will release the extra pressure. The Toshiba pa3537u-1bas battery will probably be useless afterwards, so this is something to avoid. The vent is strictly there as a safety measure. So is the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) switch, a device that is supposed to keep the battery from overheating.
This metal case holds a long spiral comprising three thin sheets pressed together:
- A Positive electrode
- A Negative electrode
- A separator
Inside the case these sheets are submerged in an organic solvent that acts as the electrolyte. Ether is one common solvent.
The separator is a very thin sheet of microperforated plastic. As the name implies, it separates the positive and negative electrodes while allowing ions to pass through.
The positive electrode is made of Lithium cobalt oxide, or LiCoO2. The negative electrode is made of carbon. When the battery charges, ions of lithium move through the electrolyte from the positive electrode to the negative electrode and attach to the carbon. During discharge, the lithium ions move back to the LiCoO2 from the carbon.
The movement of these lithium ions happens at a fairly high voltage, so each cell produces 3.7 volts. This is much higher than the 1.5 volts typical of a normal AA alkaline cell that you buy at the supermarket and helps make lithium-ion batteries more compact in small devices like cell phones. See How Batteries Work for details on different battery chemistries.
We’ll look at how to prolong the life of a lithium-ion battery and explore why they can explode next.
About the Author
www.batteries-company.com - Australia leading battery company for Toshiba laptop batteries, HP laptop batteries, Fujitsu laptop batteries, Olympus camera batteries, Canon camcorder batteries, Makita power tools batteries, Dewalt power tools batteries.
Researchers Create Transparent Lithium-Ion Battery
|
|
Braun Multiquick 7 Cordless Hand Processor $170.00 Cordless Hand Processor. 1000 ml Jar. Black/Stainless Steel. Accessories: Shaker/Measuring cup 600 ml, Mini chopper 1000ml. Charging station. Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery. Full Charge: 2 Hours. Operation time: 20 Minutes…. |
|
|
Solio Mono by Solio $59.95 115167 Features: The solar cell is both durable and powerful for quick charging Integrated, rechargeable and replaceable lithium-ion battery can be charged with the sun or plug it in to a USB outlet Stores power up to one year Works with most mobile phones, MP3 players, PDA’s and GPS’s right out of the box (additional adapters are available) Specifications: Size: 47 x 13 x 85 inches Internal batt… |
|
|
Nokia 6315i 950 mAh Li-Ion Battery $4.31 Nokia BL-4003C battery, Standard capacity Lithium-Ion battery is the factory original battery designed & built specifically for the Nokia 6315i/ Pantech PNE330 cell phone models.Nokia BL-4003C Li-Ion Standard battery provides your Nokia 6315i/ Pantech PNE330 cell phone with the standard battery capacity that originally shipped with most Nokia 6315i/ Pantech PNE330 cell phone models, for very good … |
|
|
Sony NP-FH50 Info Lithium H Series Camcorder Battery $59.99 6.8V; 900 Mah; Successor Of Np-Fp50 Battery; Faster Charge & Longer Battery Life With Ac-Vqh10 Super Quick Charge… |
|
|
Olympus Stylus TOUGH-6000 Shockproof & Waterproof Digital Camera (White) + 2GB xD Card + Spare Li-50B Battery + Case + Cameta Bonus Accessory Kit Kit includes: |
|
|
I’ve Got My Lithium Ion on You Ep $6.49 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
|
|
Black & Decker NST2118 12-Inch 18-Volt Ni-Cd Cordless Electric GrassHog String Trimmer/Edger $82.74 2 TOOLS-IN-ONE THAT FEATURES MORE POWER DURABILITY & IS EASY TO USEEXCLUSIVE POWERDRIVE TRANSMISSION DELIVERS MORE POWER FROM THE MOTOR TO THE CUTTING STRING SO THE JOB CAN GET DONE FASTERGREAT CUTTING RESULTS WITHOUT THE MESS & HASSLES OF GASINSTANTLY STARTS EVERY TIME WITH THE PULL OF A TRIGGEREASILY CONVERTS FROM A TRIMMER TO AN EDGERINCLUDES TWO 18V BATTERIES FOR DOUBLE THE RUN TIMEUPC : 88591… |
|
|
DEWALT DC9096-2 18-Volt XRP 2.4 Amp Hour NiCad Pod-Style Battery, 2 Pack $232.44 Keep your DEWALT 18-volt cordless tools powered with the DC9096 XRP extended run time batteries. DEWALT uses top-quality NiCd cells, offering a consistent and adaptable performance. The extended run time batteries deliver 40 percent more run time with new cobalt technology…. |
|
|
Sun Joe HJ602C Hedger Joe Lithium Ion Cordless Electric 3.31-Inch Grass Shear/5-Inch Shrubber $25.74 The Sun Joe Hedger Joe HJ602C Li-ion cordless grass shear/shrubber is 2 tools in 1 featuring an interchangeable blade system which allows you to easily convert from a grass shear to a shrubber for convenience and versatility. It is a great tool for touch up jobs around tight spaces. The 3.6 volt rechargeable battery gives you the freedom of cordless operation with no hassle of cords. Both the 3.31… |
Tags: batteries, battery, energy, lithium, lithium ion battery, lithium ion battery care, lithium ion battery charging, lithium ion battery manufacturers, lithium ion car battery, technology