Battery Array Cell Voltage Monitor

The cell voltage monitor monitors the voltages of an array of up to 48 batteries and wirelessly transmits the voltage values to a nearby computer for further processing.

Large arrays of low voltage batteries are commonly used for storing and using electricity generated by renewable sources, such as solar or wind. One problem with this approach is that a bad cell will degrade preformance of the system, and may damage the other cells. Having the ability to easily monitor the voltages of all the cells over time will allow the operator to detect a bad cell and replace it with a good one.

Using a combination of off the shelf hardware and custom components we designed a circuit board that may be hooked up to an array of 48 batteries, where each cell has a max voltage of 5 volts or less. Using class 1 bluetooth we are able to wirelessly transmit the voltage readings to a computer up to 100 meters away for processing.