Intersil announced the release of the single-chip ISL9208 and ISL9216/17 chipset solution for cell balancing and overcurrent protection. The ISL9208 single chip and ISL9216/17 chipset perform cell balancing and protect battery packs against high current conditions. The cell balancing allows the microcontroller to keep cell capacities matched to increase the battery pack’s operating time and extend battery life. The built-in 3.3V voltage regulator reduces component count while providing power to the microcontroller. The devices provide critical protection through the ability to detect short circuits and overcurrent conditions and automatically shut down the power FETs when necessary.

The ISL9208 is recommended for 5 to 7 cell (18V to 28V) battery packs and the ISL9216/17 chipset is recommended for 7 to 12 cell (28V to 50V) battery packs. The ISL9216 and ISL9217 chipset solution extends the monitoring capability to higher voltage cell packs by establishing a communication link between an I2C interface and a level shifter of the two chips.

The ISL9208 is available in a 32-lead, 5mm x 5mm Pb-free QFN configuration starting at $2.27 each in quantities of 100 to 1,000. The ISL9216 is available in a Pb-Free 32-lead, 5mm x 5mm QFN package starting at $3.00 each in quantities of 100 to 1,000. The ISL9217 is available in a 4mm x 4mm Pb-Free 24-lead QFN configuration starting at $2.93 each in quantities of 100 to 1,000.