Development of an open-source high-performance battery management system

This paper presents the development of an open-source high-performance battery management system (BMS). The BMS was designed for use on a battery pack of unknown number of cells in an unknown configuration. Each cell is fitted with a battery management board, which is networked with nearby cells creating a peer-to-peer network. The cells communicate with each other to ensure that the cells are all balanced. In the event they are not, a bi-directional DC/DC converter begins to transfer charge from one cell to another until all cells are all balanced. Each board monitors cell voltage, internal cell resistance, current, and estimates cell capacity through coulomb counting. Several applications are described for small companies, academics, and hobbyists.