Online engineering resource for BMS supplies technical support and knowledge

Arrow Electronics is building an online resource for designers of battery-management systems (BMS), giving access to support services and downloadable design papers jointly written with experts at companies within Arrow's ecosystem.

Established to help customers ensure their BMS projects satisfy critical requirements, such as functional safety, efficiency, battery lifetime, and charging time, the company's battery specialists manage the repository. Technical support services include its company einfochips, which specialise in supporting complex engineering projects, covering the complete development lifecycle, including hardware and firmware design, prototyping, functional safety, testing and regulatory certification.

"Battery management is central to the electrification of everything, the defining megatrend of our time as we switch to renewable energy to preserve the world's resources and climate," said Ulrich Lentz, technology field applications engineer – BMS, Arrow Electronics. "Customers developing BMS, either commercially or for their own end products, can rely on our curated resources to get the knowledge and support they need."

Performance-conscious battery-powered systems generally need a BMS to monitor operating conditions, maintain correct cell voltages, optimise charging, and anticipate cell failures to allow safe isolation from others in the array. A BMS is vital in equipment such as e-mobility from e-bikes to EVs, cordless power tools and renewable energy storage systems from utility-class to small consumer units.

BMS design knowledge and best practices are still evolving, and the web-based knowledge repository and support portal helps customers navigate the available options and accelerate time to market for new BMS designs that satisfy all applicable technical and regulatory needs.