Typically, simple battery chargers do not provide the
intelligence to charge different battery technologies or
batteries with the same technology but different volt-
ages and capacities. At best, this may leave the battery
improperly charged. At worst, it can pose a serious
safety hazard. A microcontroller can provide the intelli-
gence to overcome these problems.
In addition to intelligent control, the microcontroller can
provide a low-cost, flexible solution for charging batter-
ies. Complete battery charging applications may be
developed quickly using a microcontroller. Add to this
the serial communication capability of the microcontrol-
ler, real-time data logging and monitoring is possible.
Simple battery chargers use all analog components to
accomplish their function. However, by using a micro-
controller, a battery charger can be made intelligent.