Battery Options for Portable Electronic Equipment

The rapid advances in electronic technology and the introduction of portable devices have resulted in a significant reduction of the equipment power requirements. Given the demand for longer service time, coupled with improvements in primary battery performance characteristics, the nickel-cadmium battery is no longer considered the single battery system-of-choice for portable electronics . The equipment designer now has several options in the selection of the battery power source. These include both primary replaceable batteries as well as secondary rechargeable batteries. Both battery systems have advantages depending on the type of device, power requirements and other considerations important to the end-user, such as convenience. The author compares primary and secondary battery characteristics, gives examples of typical applications, and then gives criteria for battery selection.

Links: