Safer rechargeable batteries

Feb. 3, 2005
Recent reports of injuries suffered from faulty battery packs have makers of cell phones and other portable electronics placing even greater focus on safety.

Surface-mount fuses, temperature sensors, and transient-voltage suppressors and capacitors from AVX Corp., Myrtle Beach, S.C., help safeguard batteries from possible catastrophic failure.

The company's AccuGuard II thin-film fuses, said to be the world's smallest, give ultrafast reaction time for batteries vulnerable to fast power surges or spikes. NB Series negative-temperature coefficient thermistors work for temperature compensation and control of dcdc converters in handheld and portable electronics.

Niobium-oxide capacitors use solid electrolyte capacitor technology for nonburn/nonsmoke operation and safely fail in high resistance. Finally, TransGuard bidirectional transient-voltage suppressors withstand repetitive energy pulses. The suppressors also provide ESD protection, EMI attenuation, and subnanosecond response time. Applications for the suppressors include cell-phone battery-charge circuits, LCD screens, and programming ports. AVX says to expect soon a capability guide for the devices, including data sheets, distributed-element models, and other useful design information.

AVX Corp.,
www.avx.com

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