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BQ79616-Q1: Seeking Guidance on BMS Design with Current Sensing and BQ79616

Batuhan Yavasoglu
Prodigy 220 points
Part Number: BQ79616-Q1
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: BQ79616, , BQ79656-Q1

Hello experts,

I am currently in the process of designing a battery management system (BMS) using the BQ79616 IC. I understand that this particular IC doesn’t have built-in current sensing capabilities. My design comprises a modular system with 7 battery modules in series. My goal is to monitor the current draw of each individual module. If any module draws more current than expected, I want the capability to shut it off or potentially bypass it.

To avoid connecting each shunt resistor directly to the main controller card, I am contemplating adding a microcontroller to each slave BQ79616 board. Before I proceed with this approach, I have a couple of questions:

  1. Do you think it's advisable to use a separate microcontroller with each BQ79616 for current sensing? If so, could you recommend a compatible TI microcontroller that would work harmoniously with the BQ79616?
  2. Alternatively, is there another IC within the TI portfolio that combines the capabilities of the BQ79616 with current sensing?

I appreciate your insights and suggestions. Looking forward to enhancing the robustness of my BMS design with your expertise.

Best regards,

Batuhan

  • 0
    TI__Expert 3370 points

    Hi Batuhan,

    Batuhan Yavasoglu said:
    Do you think it's advisable to use a separate microcontroller with each BQ79616 for current sensing? If so, could you recommend a compatible TI microcontroller that would work harmoniously with the BQ79616?

    Using a separate MCU for each monitoring IC would likely not be recommended. 

    Batuhan Yavasoglu said:
    Alternatively, is there another IC within the TI portfolio that combines the capabilities of the BQ79616 with current sensing?

    We do offer this- I recommend looking into the BQ79656-Q1 device. This has the added feature of current sensing.

    Best Regards,

    Julia Louis

  • 0 in reply to Julia Louis
    Prodigy 220 points

    Can I ask why is the reason seperate meicrocontroller not recomended and what is the downside of BQ79656  than BQ79616?

  • 0 in reply to Batuhan Yavasoglu
    TI__Expert 3370 points

    Hi Batuhan,

    Batuhan Yavasoglu said:
    Can I ask why is the reason seperate meicrocontroller not recomended

    Having one MCU per monitoring IC would be unnecessary and lead to additional cost (because of additional MCUs). Generally, our monitoring ICs (in a stack, meaning multiple monitoring ICs communicating with each other) are monitored by one MCU. Furthermore, having one MCU per one monitoring IC could make measurement synchronization difficult. 

    Batuhan Yavasoglu said:
    what is the downside of BQ79656  than BQ79616?

    I wouldn't say there is a downside necessarily. The 2 devices are fairly similar, except that the BQ79656-Q1 has current sensing features (which the BQ79616-Q1 does not have). The BQ79656-Q1 disables 2 of the GPIOs from the BQ79616-Q1 and uses that for current sensing.

    Best Regards,

    Julia Louis