MAXREFDES1153: Multicell Fuel Gauge with Battery Protection and Balancing Circuit Using the MAX17205

The MAXREFDES1153 is a monitoring solution for genuine lithium-ion (Li+) battery packs with 2 to 15 cells connected in series. This reference design provides an accurate state of charge (SOC) in milliamp-hours (mAh) or percentage (%), as well as precision measurements of current, voltage, and temperature for multicell battery packs. The MAXREFDES1153 features monitoring and balancing of the battery pack, as well as safety features and protection circuits that guard against conditions such as overcharging, overdischarging, and overcurrent. This reference design is a fully tested solution for power tools, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and some industrial applications. The ModelGauge^™ m5 EZ configuration or a custom battery pack model could be loaded to the MAX17205 on the MAXREFDES1153 board through microcontrollers. The MAXREFDES1153 provides samples that load the ModelGauge m5 EZ configuration or a custom battery pack model through the STM32 master board and shows the measured SOC, voltage, current, and temperature on the touchscreen of the STM32 master board. The default configuration of the MAXREFDES1153 is for 5 Li+ cells in series. An overview of the design specification is shown in Table 1.