Dimensional Spacing Considerations: Heat Dissipation

The 3 Biggest Mistakes in Battery Pack Designs
Dimensional Spacing Considerations

Heat Dissipation
When designing a rechargeable battery regardless of
the chemistry, there should be spacing considerations
made to factor in potential heat the battery will
generate during the charge and discharge cycles.
How the cells are positioned and configured is also

very important so they will all be exposed to the same
thermal and environmental conditions.
If the battery is not designed with ample space for

heat dissipation, it will greatly affect the number of life
cycles you will ultimately achieve.
Enclosure Design
Ensuring there is ample space in the enclosure for
materials like Poron foams, RTVs, and even potting
compounds if required is equally important.
Working closely with the electrical engineer and

mechanical engineer on the enclosure, or even the
device cavity spacing are of key to ensure the battery
will perform as intended and achieve the expected life
cycles.
Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability

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Dimensional Spacing Considerations
Enclosure Design (continued)

If the battery is intended to be in an enclosure, not
only will heat dissipation be important, but also
designing with enough room to adequately protect the
battery during potential impact if dropped.
PRO TIP
Make sure your battery pack design takes into
consideration all the mechanical, thermal, and
environmental factors that are often times overlooked
during the design stage.

Not Accounting Time For Prototype Revisions
Prototype Revisions
Anytime you are developing a custom lithium battery
for any type of application, that battery will most
likely require a few iterations on the electronics
and component selections. It is very rare that the
first electrical layout and BOM perform exactly as
anticipated.
More often than not, there will be revisions that need

to be made, and it isn’t until you have the prototype
running and cycled a few times before you can
determine what “tweaks” need to be made. Even the
best laid plans require adjustments.
At a minimum, changes typically required are

components, but even at that level you need to
go through the verification process to confirm the
changes function as required.
If the changes require a new printed circuit board

layout, you will need to plan on a new lot of boards
and complete the assembly.

Not Accounting Time For Prototype Revisions
Prototype Revisions (continued)
With the PCB quick turn process available to most,
the lead time is minimized, but depending on the
complexity of the PCBAs and battery being designed,
the process can take up to a week or more before you
have new battery samples assembled and testing.
Unless your engineers are experienced in battery

development, this is not typically understood, and as
indicated earlier - happens more times than not.
PRO TIP
While developing a custom lithium battery, there will
most likely require a few iterations on the electronics
and component selections. Keep in mind that all
changes take time.

Not Accounting Time For Regulatory Certifications For Lithium
Regulatory Certifications For
Lithium (continued)
• T1 – Altitude Simulation
• T2 – Thermal Test
• T3 – Vibration
• T4 – Shock
• T5 – External Short Circuit
• T6 – Impact
• T7 – Overcharge
• T8 – Forced Discharge
Regulatory Certifications For Lithium
This testing requires a minimum of
Developing any custom lithium battery, even a single cell battery pack
16 battery samples, and the timing
will require the UN/ DOT UN38.3 certification to approve the battery
around the testing will depend on
design is safe for transporting under the IATA guidelines.
the size of the battery, as they need
to be fully cycled through charge
This certification needs to be completed by a registered agency, which
and discharging, but an average
will perform the series of testing to include:
would be 6 ~ 8 weeks to complete
once the regulatory samples are
received at the test facility.

Not Accounting Time For Regulatory Certifications For Lithium
Regulatory Certifications For
Lithium (continued)
Keep in mind the timing it will take to
assemble the 16 regulatory samples
needed for the testing, and the
transportation time for the samples
to be shipped class 9 ground
transportation from where ever you
may be assembling to the regulatory
agency you choose.
Shipping time alone can be an

additional week, which Adds to the
overall process time.
PRO TIP
Any lithium battery, even a single cell battery pack
will require the UN/ DOT UN38.3 certification. This
process adds additional time and needs to be
considered in your battery development plan.


Dimensional Spacing Considerations: Heat Dissipation

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The 3 Biggest Mistakes in Battery Pack Designs

Dimensional Spacing Considerations

How the cells are positioned and configured is also

If the battery is not designed with ample space for

Working closely with the electrical engineer and

Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability

Enclosure Design (continued)

Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability

More often than not, there will be revisions that need

At a minimum, changes typically required are

If the changes require a new printed circuit board

Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability

Unless your engineers are experienced in battery

Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability

• T5 – External Short Circuit

Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability

Shipping time alone can be an

Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability

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