Battery Management Systems (BMS) testing can be quite dangeous. Modern batteries store a lot of energy, and if operated outside their safety limits, they may catch fire or even explode. The solution for safe BMS testing is to replace the actual battery by a hardware emulator circuit that behaves like a battery. In this way, BMS testing can be completed under a wide range of operating conditions (even beyond ‘normal’ specs) in a safe manner.
Project description
The goal of our Minor BeCreative project was to design a circuit that behaves as a battery cell, with the following features:
- Capable of delivering 5V while sourcing or sinking 3A
- Capable of emulating critical and out-of-spec modes of a battery
- Software controllable output voltage and current
- A user-friendly user interface
- Also providing a variable load between 25 Ohms and 5k Ohms
Project result
After circuit design, a double-sided PCB containing both SMD and THT components was designed, realized and tested. During the design phase, special attention was paid to:
- Floorplan and footprint planning
- Enabling debug and testing
- Proper grounding (apply ground planes)
- Adequate track widths and clearances
A battery emulator circuit was realized and tested (under voltage, over voltage, over current, etc). The emulator circuit provides guaranteed safety during BMS testing. A minimalistic user interface was realized. Detailed documentation is available.
Project video
Acknowledgement
The project team, comprising of five students, would like to thank the Fontys Electrical Engineering teaching staff and the PCB prototyping facilities (laser etching) at Fontys Nexus for their valuable support during the project.