The MAX1780 Advanced Battery Pack Controller is a smart battery pack supervisor that integrates a User programmable Microcontroller Core, Coulomb-Counter-based Fuel Gauge, a multi-channel Data Acquisition Unit, a high-speed SPI Interface, and a Master/Slave SMBus Interface. The 8-bit, RISC, Microcontroller core is user programmable, and provides battery pack designers with complete flexibility in developing fuel gauging and control algorithms. The Data Acquisition Unit can measure individual cell voltages to within 50mV, total battery stack voltage (up to 20.48V), and chip internal/external temperature.

The user adjustable overcurrent comparators, along with individual cell voltage measurements, allow the MAX1780 to eliminate a separate primary pack protection IC. The MAX1780 can be directly connected to 2 to 4 series Lithium Ion cells, and supplies itself through a fully integrated 3.4V lowdrop out linear regulator.