What Is a Battery Connector?
A Battery Connector is an interconnecting device used in connecting batteries to electronic products.
Since they are used in portable electronic products such as cell phones, computers, and medical equipment, they are becoming increasingly compact. By assembling them in different colors and shapes for each voltage, it is possible to prevent incorrect assembly.
Although suitable for use with batteries, they are also used in a wide variety of non-battery-related applications, such as connection of sliding or compression-type modules.
Uses of Battery Connectors
The connectors are used in electric vehicles, submarines, and motorsports because they can withstand high current loads and require no maintenance. Maintenance and checking can be performed safely by simply removing the assembly.
They are used in medical equipment and transportation equipment due to their simple structure and high reliability. As the technology has advanced from lithium-ion batteries to lithium polymer batteries, which have a large power capacity per unit area and a high degree of freedom in shape, batteries are becoming thinner and smaller.
Principle of Battery Connectors
1. Terminals of Battery Connector
Battery Connectors are designed to accommodate both the positive and negative terminals of the battery. The connectors are color-coded according to voltage to prevent mis-wiring by changing the shape so that they can be assembled with the same color or not assembled if the combination is not as intended.
The simple structure allows for high design flexibility, and sizes can be easily changed according to the number of poles, operating height, and terminal pitch. In addition, end-to-end stacks and contacts are made of various metals to achieve high cycle life.
2. Role of Pins
When connecting to a battery pack, power input/output flow is required between the system and the battery pack. The pins of the Battery Connector are responsible for the input/output flow.
For example, when using an 8-position connector, three pins are used for power flow from the system to the battery pack and another three pins for power flow from the battery pack to the system.
How to Select a Battery Connector
For the connection method to the battery, select a suitable method such as leaf type, pogo pin type, plug-in type, etc., depending on the application. The leaf type is suitable for thin batteries such as cell phones.
Header types are also available for vertical or horizontal mounting in keyless or left/right keying configurations. This allows for assembly and disassembly in the 0° to 90° angle range, making it possible to select Battery Connectors that match the positioning of the battery pack and the system.
Other Information on Battery Connectors
1. Rated Current
The maximum current capacity of Battery Connector is defined as the capacity when a single terminal is used, not the maximum current per pin multiplied by the number of terminals. Therefore, if many terminals are used for power transmission, the maximum current capacity of individual terminals will decrease.
2. Design Considerations
Understanding product attributes will help you select the best product for your intended application. Important physical attributes include number of positions, connector type, and mounting angle.
It is also important to verify the total current required between the system and the battery pack, the durability insert cycles, operating temperature, etc.
3. Battery Connector Compatibility
Battery Connectors are easy to store as there is no difference between sockets and plugs and they have the same shape. A connector for cables with a relatively large current flow of 50A or less, such as chargers and DC / DC converters, is called an Anderson Connector.
Battery Connectors are also compatible with Anderson Connectors and are easy to assemble and remove.