Battery Discharge

Script User’s Guide

20 DECEMBER 2017
The script

• This document applies to the TSP script files named:

◦ BatteryDischarge_20Dec2017.tsp
◦ BatteryDischargeScript_20Dec2017.tsp
▪ The script was initially released on 07/31/2017 as
“BatteryDischargeScript_31Jul2017.” However, the name was shortened to
“BatteryDischarge_31Jul2017” on 08/03/2017 because the length of the
original name caused errors when trying to manage or run the script from the
front panel of the instrument. Both versions of the scripts were revised on
12/20/2017 and their names were changed accordingly.

• These scripts are example code written by Keithley Instrument's

Applications Engineering. See www.tek.com/sample-license for
licensing terms.

20 DECEMBER 2017 2
The script (continued)

• This script is designed to discharge a battery and create a battery

model for use in a Keithley Model 2281S-20-6 Battery Simulator
and Precision DC Power Supply. It will run on any of the following
Keithley instruments:
◦ Model 2450 SourceMeter®
◦ Model 2460 SourceMeter®
◦ Model 2461 SourceMeter®

• The script can be loaded and run from the front panel of the
instrument, or it can be run using Keithley’s Test Script Builder
(TSB) application.
◦ In TSB, setting a “debug” flag in the script causes additional
information to be logged to the TSB Instrument Console if desired.

• 20 DECEMBER 2017 3
The script (continued)

WARNING

The script presently does not include any built-in safeguards to prevent
the user from discharging a LITHIUM ION battery beyond safe limits. It
is the user's responsibility to follow all manufacturer's guidelines when
setting the discharge current and cut-off voltage for a LITHIUM ION
battery to ensure safe operation of the test setup and program.

CAUTION

Do not connect the battery to the SourceMeter instrument until prompted

by the script do so. Connecting the battery earlier may cause it to start
discharging prematurely.

20 DECEMBER 2017 4
Configure the script before running it
Edit script with a text editor or Test Script Builder (TSB) if desired

Two variables are defined near the end of the script, :

local debug = false -- Options are true or false; true only applies when
running this script from Test Script Builder

local do_beeps = true -- Options are true or false; true causes certain
audible cues to be generated when user interaction
is required

The user can edit these values to change the behavior of the program:
◦ Setting “debug” to true, will cause additional information to be logged
to the TSB Instrument Console.
▪ Useful for troubleshooting and monitoring a test
◦ Setting “do_beeps” to false will disable the majority of the audible
cues.

20 DECEMBER 2017 5
Copy script to internal memory (optional)
See the SourceMeter instrument manuals for additional guidance

• Insert a USB flash drive into the USB port • Touch Scripts/Manage on the menu.
on the front of the instrument.
• Press the MENU button to display the
menu screen.

20 DECEMBER 2017 6
Copy script to internal memory (continued)
See the SourceMeter instrument manuals for additional guidance

• Select the script file that you want to copy • Touch the left “arrow” button to copy the
to the internal memory of the instrument. script.
• Date in the script name, if any, will depend
on the version being loaded.

20 DECEMBER 2017 7
Run the script (Option 1)
See the SourceMeter instrument manuals for additional guidance

• Press the MENU button to display the • Select the script to run and then touch
menu screen. Run Selected.
• Touch Scripts/Run on the menu. • Note that you can run the script stored in
internal memory OR on the USB drive.

CAUTION: Do not connect the battery to the SourceMeter instrument until instructed to do so.
Connecting the battery earlier may cause it to start discharging prematurely.

20 DECEMBER 2017 8
Run the script (Option 2)
Although not shown herein, the script can also be run using Test Script
Builder. See the instrument manuals or TSB Help for guidance.
• Press the HOME button to display the • Touch the script name to run it.
home screen. • Note that you can run the script stored in
• Touch the active script indicator. internal memory OR on the USB drive.
• If a another script is running, stop it first.

CAUTION: Do not connect the battery to the SourceMeter instrument until instructed to do so.
Connecting the battery earlier may cause it to start discharging prematurely.

20 DECEMBER 2017 9
After the script starts running,
just follow the prompts…

20 DECEMBER 2017 10
Heed the warning

• The script presently does not

include any built-in safeguards to
prevent the user from discharging
a LITHIUM ION battery beyond
safe limits.
• It is the user's responsibility to
follow all manufacturer's
guidelines when setting the
discharge current and cut-off
voltage for a LITHIUM ION battery
to ensure safe operation of the
test setup and program.

20 DECEMBER 2017 11
Specify the terminals you want to use

• All 3 compatible SourceMeter

instruments have banana jacks on
their front panels.
• The Model 2450 has Triax
connectors on its rear panel.
• Models 2460 and 2461 have 8-pin
Phoenix connectors on their rear
panels.

20 DECEMBER 2017 12
Connect the battery to the SMU using 4-wire connections
Low internal resistance of the battery dictates the use of remote voltage
sensing. The instrument is automatically set to the 4-wire mode.

See the instrument manuals for

more information about 4-wire
connections.

20 DECEMBER 2017 13
Examples of 4-wire connections
FRONT panel connections to Model REAR panel connections to Model
2461 using Keithley Model 5806 2461 using Keithley Model 2460-
Kelvin Clip Test Leads BAN Safety Banana Test Leads

20 DECEMBER 2017 14
Battery open-circuit voltage is measured
after connections are confirmed
• Measured voltage is used to
automatically set the voltage
measure range and limit level for
the remainder of the test.
• Ranges available for the 2450:
◦ 200V, 20V, 2V, 200mV, 20mV

• Ranges available for the 2460 and

2461:
◦ 100V, 20V, 10V, 7V, 2V, 200mV

• Note that the maximum output

voltage of the Model 2281S is
20V.

20 DECEMBER 2017 15
Selected voltage measure range determines the
maximum allowable discharge current
• Model 2450 power envelope • Model 2460/61 power envelope
• Max current is 1.05A for • Max current is 7.35A for
voltages ≤ 20V voltages ≤ 7V

Model 2461 high-power

pulse mode is not supported

20 DECEMBER 2017 16
Enter a general purpose comment if
desired
• Comment field can be used to
identify the battery manufacturer
and type, and/or provide other test
details.
• Comment can be up to 64
characters long, and can include
spaces and special characters.
• If no comment is entered, or if
Cancel is selected, then the
comment will default to “NO
COMMENT.”
• Comment is saved in the
“…_SetupAndRawData” file.

20 DECEMBER 2017 17
Select the type of discharge to perform

• Constant Current discharges the

battery using a constant current
(except when interrupted to
measure the open-circuit voltage).
• Current List enables the user to
specify a list of current levels at
which the battery will be
discharged. Up to 10 current
levels and corresponding
durations can be specified.

20 DECEMBER 2017 18
If you select Constant Current Discharge…
Enter the discharge current as requested.

• Enter the discharge current in amps.

◦ The current level the user can enter is limited
to range shown.
▪ The maximum level varies with the SourceMeter
instrument and the selected voltage measure
range.
▪ The minimum level is fixed.

• Although very low currents are allowed,

they may not be practical for ESR
measurements, which use a current
interrupt method.
◦ ESR = (VI=DischargeLevel - VI=0)/(IDischargeLevel - 0A)
◦ Since ESR is generally a very low resistance
value, a low discharge current level may result
in a relatively inaccurate measurement of
VI=DischargeLevel and calculation of ΔV.
◦ To be addressed in a future script version.

20 DECEMBER 2017 19
If you select Current List Discharge…
Enter the number of points in the list, and the current level and duration
for each point in the list.

• A current list can have from 2 to

10 points.
• Multiple points can have the same
current level and/or duration.

20 DECEMBER 2017 20
Current List Discharge continued…
Enter the current level and duration for each point in the list.

• Enter the discharge current in

amps for each step in the sweep
(Step #1 shown).
◦ See the comments under “If you
select Constant Current
Discharge…”

• Enter the duration in seconds for

each step in the sweep (Step #1
shown).
◦ The minimum duration is presently
limited to 500µs.
◦ Although not enforced presently, the
maximum duration is 100,000 seconds.

20 DECEMBER 2017 21
Set the cut-off voltage
This applies to both the constant current discharge and the current list
discharge routines.

• Enter the cut-off voltage in volts.

◦ The minimum value is arbitrarily
limited to 100mV.
◦ The maximum value is arbitrarily
limited to 98% of the open-circuit
voltage that was measured.

• The discharge process will stop

when the measured load voltage
(VI=DischargeLevel) is less than the
specified cut-off voltage.

20 DECEMBER 2017 22
Set the battery ESR measure interval
This applies to both the constant current discharge and the current list
discharge routines.

• Enter the battery ESR measure

interval in seconds.
◦ The minimum value is limited to
80ms, which is a practical minimum
based on the test algorithm.
◦ The maximum value is arbitrarily
limited to 600s.

• Try to choose a measure interval

that will result in more than 101
readings, preferably 1000 or
more.
◦ 101 is the number of points in the
Model 2281S battery model.

20 DECEMBER 2017 23
After the test is configured…

• Touch OK to start discharging the

battery, or touch Cancel to abort
the test.
• If OK is selected, then the
instrument output turns on and the
battery begins to discharge.

20 DECEMBER 2017 24
Status information is provided during the test

• The last measured elapsed time, VOC, VLOAD and

ESR are displayed for both routines.

• For a List Discharge, intervals without

measurements are identified if time permits.

• The SourceMeter instrument’s built-in graph

capabilities can be used to observe the voltages
over time. Presently, the currents and ESR
cannot be plotted.

20 DECEMBER 2017 25
More about the measurements that are made…
2281S Battery Model

• A battery model for the 2281S consists of the measured battery capacity
plus a 101-point list of values as shown below:
SOC (%) Open Voltage(V) ESR(ohm)
0 1.598897 0.5186
1 1.80943 0.507661
… … …
100 3.146062 0.739088

• The battery discharge script measures the battery open-circuit voltage

and internal resistance or ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) at the
specified time interval as the battery discharges.

• After the battery load voltage reaches the cut-off, the script searches the
acquired readings and extracts the appropriate 101 points to generate
the model.

20 DECEMBER 2017 26
More about the measurements (continued)
VLOAD, VOC AND ESR
• When it is time to measure the required parameters, the script
performs the following:
◦ It measures and records the battery voltage at the programmed
discharge current level (VLOAD = VI=DischargeLevel).
◦ It then sets the discharge current to zero (0A), and measures and
records the open-circuit voltage of the battery (VOC = VI=0).
◦ It calculates and records the battery internal resistance as:
ESR = (VLOAD - VOC) / (IDischargeLevel - 0A)

• The current levels are not measured. They are assumed to equal
their programmed values.

• Presently, fixed source and measure ranges are used for all tests.

• Voltage measurements are made with a 1PLC (16.7ms) aperture.

20 DECEMBER 2017 27
More about the measurements (continued)
Measurement Timing
• For a Constant Current Discharge, measurements are made at the
specified interval throughout the test.

• For a Current List Discharge, the program determines when to make the
measurements as follows:
◦ It identifies the step in the list with the longest duration. The current level
associated with this duration becomes the “load” current for developing the
2281S model.
▪ If there is more than one interval equal to the longest duration, then the largest current
level associated with this duration becomes the load current.
◦ Measurements are made during any interval in which the discharge current
equals the load current. Measurements are NOT made during any other
intervals. This is a program limitation at this time.
◦ In general, measurements will be evenly spaced within a single step interval,
but there may be overall variations depending on the exact profile of the
discharge list.

20 DECEMBER 2017 28
When the cut-off voltage is reached…
The source is set to 0A and the output is turned off. The battery model
is extracted from the raw data.
• The user is notified if fewer than 101
measurements were made.
• The user is given the opportunity to
save the model as a CSV file.
◦ Insert a USB flashdrive into the front of
the instrument, and then touch Yes to
save the model.
▪ Enter an appropriate file name.

20 DECEMBER 2017 29
After saving the battery model, the
user can save the raw data.
• Touch yes to save the setup
information and raw data in a CSV
file.
◦ “_SetupAndRawData” is appended to
battery model file name, e.g.
AAModel_SetupAndRawData.csv
• Information includes:
◦ The model number, serial number and
firmware revision of the SourceMeter
instrument.
◦ All user-specified values.
◦ Pertinent parameters determined or
calculated by the script
◦ All of the measurements
◦ The battery model extracted from the
raw measurements.

20 DECEMBER 2017 30
And then you are finished.

20 DECEMBER 2017 31