The UC2906 series of battery charger controllers contains all of the necessary circuitry to optimally control the charge and hold cycle for sealed lead-acid batteries. These integrated circuits monitor and control both the output voltage and current of the charger through three separate charge states; a high current bulk-charge state, a controlled over-charge, and a precision float-charge, or standby, state.

Optimum charging conditions are maintained over an extended temperature range with an internal reference that tracks the nominal temperature characteristics of the lead-acid cell. A typical standby supply current requirement of only 1.6mA allows these ICs to predictably monitor ambient temperatures.

Separate voltage loop and current limit amplifiers regulate the output voltage and current levels in the charger by controlling the onboard driver. The driver will supply up to 25mA of base drive to an external pass device. Voltage and current sense comparators are used to sense the battery condition and respond with logic inputs to the charge state logic. A charge enable comparator with a trickle bias output can be used to implement a low current turn-on mode of the charger, preventing high current charging during abnormal conditions such as a shorted battery cell.Read more