• Powering PIGS
  
• It's Never too Early to Think About Power: A Battery Design Guide
  
• Reader Questions Answered: Handling Current Bursts
  
• Visit Ultralife at AFCEA and DSEi
  
• $2.4 Million Order for BA-5390 Batteries and Other Releases
  
• Coming Next Issue: Get Wise
  
• Ultra Brain Teaser

Ultralife has been powering pipeline inspection gauges for many years now. The gauges, called PIGS, are sent thru pipelines carrying anything from water to petroleum to chemicals - and are used for preventative maintenance, such as detecting leakage. Depending on the size of the pipeline, the gauges can be very small or rather huge. With sophisticated test equipment and long duty cycles, they need very specialized batteries to keep them running.

For one very demanding application we manufacture a battery pack that contains 140 D cells! It is a 30 V unit with 16 individual 30 V strings that in total provide 4,410 Wh or 147 Ah. The pack uses one string to provide power until drained, then moves on thru the remaining strings.

Each string has its own redundant protection circuitry that enables the battery to continue powering the PIG if one of the strings has a fault.

Building a 140 D cell pack is a complex engineering feat that was daunting at first. But with our extensive knowledge of cell manufacturing, advanced circuitry expertise and a custom pack assembly lab - it turned into a challenge, and a victory.

If you have a challenging application like a pipeline inspection gauge, you'll need to work with Ultralife early on in the design phase to develop an appropriate power solution.

Start HERE, with our Custom Battery Request Form
 

Today's world is becoming more and more portable. The wireless and cordless revolution in the electronics industry has increased the demands and requirements for portable power at an incredible rate. One does not walk into a room often without seeing a portable appliance of some type, whether it is a cellular phone, cordless power tool, PDA or notebook computer.

To this end, the needs of battery design within complex systems are more important than ever. Often an afterthought, the battery is a large piece of a system design ... Click here to read complete article on our website.
 

Our UBI-2590 Lithium Ion battery has a 12 Ah capacity in 15 V mode, however, we know that some customers are using super capacitors in their power designs with the UBI-2590 in order to deliver short, quick current bursts to the application on start-up without stressing the battery. Lithium Ion chemistry works well with constant current discharge rates up to "2C." At discharge rates higher than this, cycle life degradation will be observed. This is one reason why NiMH batteries have been selected in years past for applications with potential for inrush current such as power wheelchairs. The power density was more important than energy density and the "memory" effect. However, we are seeing that change. Another reason for the use of super capacitors is that the battery's size and weight can be kept to an optimum size, thus the battery will not be "oversized" to provide high power density at the sacrifice of energy density. This will not work in every application, but we have seen its successful use in power designs for applications such as terrain robotic systems, which have power profiles similar power wheelchairs.
 

Ultralife and McDowell Research will be at the AFCEA show in Fort Bragg, August 8 - 10. We will also be at the DSEi show in London, September 11 - 14.
 

• 4/25/07: $1.5 Million Order for BA-5347 and BA-5390 Batteries
  
• 5/09/07: $2.4 Million Order for BA-5347 Batteries
  
• 6/14/07: Relocating McDowell Operations
  
• 6/26/07: $1.8 Million Order for UBI-2590 and Chargers
  

In the next issue we will be starting a new column called "Get Wise." It will be authored/edited by Ralph Wise, our Director of Technology, and will offer unique commentary on the issues affecting our industry.
 

We all work hard, but sometimes you need to work your brain in different ways. This feature offers challenging puzzles to feed your brain.

Try and solve this issue's puzzle.