Battery Charger Extends Backup Battery Life In Automotive eCall Systems

The ISL78693 3.6V, single-cell battery charger promises to extend lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery life in automotive emergency call (eCall) systems.

The ISL78693 3.6V, single-cell battery charger promises to extend lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery life in automotive emergency call (eCall) systems. Said to be the industry’s lowest, it exhibits a leakage current of 3 µA, reportedly up to 4x lower than comparable chargers.

Other features include:

• A reverse battery leakage of 700 nA (typical) and 3 µA (maximum) from -40°C to +85°C

• up to 1A programmable charging current

• Guaranteed operation down to 2.65V after start-up

• A 1% initial voltage accuracy

• an integrated power transistor and current sensor

• A 10% trickle charge that preconditions a fully drained battery until it reaches 2.6V minimum charge level

• An NTC thermistor input that monitors temperature and shuts off charger when battery is outside the specified charging temperature.

The ISL78693 battery charger is available now in a 10-pin, 3 mm x 3 mm DFN package priced at $0.99 each/1,000. An ISL78693EVAL1Z evaluation board is also available for $56