Renesas ISL94216EV1Z User manual

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ISL94216EVKIT1Z
Evaluation Kit and GUI
User Manual
This user manual demonstrates basic operations of the GUI and ISL94216 Evaluation Kit. Use this document in
the sequence it was written, each section assumes the previous section was completed. See the ISL94216
datasheet for detailed information.
Software
The ISL94216 Evaluation Board GUI Code zip file must be downloaded from the Documentation and Downloads
section of the ISL94216EVKIT1Z board page. The ISL94216 GUI is built on top of Excel using Visual Basic for
Applications (VBA 1.00). It is designed to allow you to perform detailed evaluation of the ISL94216 and also
includes a simplified demonstration GUI.
Hardware
The ISL94216 Evaluation Kit consists of the following components:
• ISL94216EV1Z - ISL94216 evaluation board
• ISO-DONGLE-EV1Z - ISL94216 communications dongle with USB cable
• BMS-PS-CELL16Z - A 16-cell resistor ladder board
The following equipment is also needed to complete an evaluation of the device:
• Power supply (or battery pack)
• Current meter
• Voltmeter
• Oscilloscope
Ordering Information
Part Number Description
ISL94216EVKIT1Z ISL94216 evaluation kit

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Figure 1. ISL94216 Typical Application
ISL94216
VBAT1 VBAT2 VCPMP DFET LDMON
VC16
CB16
VC15
CB15
CSN
CSP
VSS
AUX1/XT1
VTEMP
AUX0/XT0
RSH
R
THERM
R
THERM
EPAD
CFET
PACK+
WAKEUP
RESET
ALRT
ADDR/CS
MISO/SDA/
Single Wire
MOSI
SCL
DGND
CMS0
CMS1
VDD VDD
EMITTER
VDD
VCC
V2P5
BASE
MCU
VC2
CB2
VC0
VC1
CB1
GPIO3
GPIO0
PACK-

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Contents
1. Functional Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.1 Evaluation Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2 Evaluation Board LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Evaluation Board Communications Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.4 Communications Dongle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.5 Resistor Ladder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.6 Power Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.7 Current Meter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.8 Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.9 Oscilloscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.10 BMS Assembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.11 High Current Loads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2. ISL94216 GUI Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.1 Power Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3. SCAN Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.1 Busy Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2 Single System Scans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3 Continuous System Scans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.4 Low Power Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4. IDLE Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.1 VCell Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.2 IPack Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.3 VREG Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.4 VBAT/ITEMP Triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
4.5 COMM Timeout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5. LOW POWER Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.1 Strong/Weak Regulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
6. SHIP Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6.1 Strong/Weak Regulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6.2 Wakeup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
7. Demonstration GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.1 Launching the Demo GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.2 Initializing the Demo GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.3 Demo Single Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
7.4 Demo Continuous Scan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
7.5 Demo Graphing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
7.6 Demo Threshold Modification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
7.7 Demo Fault Indicators/Clearing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
7.8 Exiting the Demo GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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8. Schematic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
9. Revision History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

ISL94216EVKIT1Z 1. Functional Description
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1. Functional Description
1.1 Evaluation Board
The ISL94216 evaluation board (Figure 2) as shipped from stock is set up for 16 cells with external cell balancing
components selected to provide ~500mA of cell balancing current.
Supply current can be monitored by connecting the current meter across J9 or J10. These jumpers MUST be in
place if a current meter is not. Exceptions are listed in “High Current Loads” on page 9.
The board can be configured for fewer cells by installing jumpers on connector TPC, or across parts of J3 on the
resistor ladder board (see “Resistor Ladder” on page 7).
A complete schematic for the evaluation board is available here: “Schematic” on page 36.
Figure 2. ISL94216EV1Z Evaluation Board
J10
J9

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The cell balancing current can be adjusted by changing resistors R34, R36, R38, R40, R42, R64, R66, R68, R70,
R72, R94, R96, R98, R112, R114, and R116. VC1 external cell balancing circuitry is shown in Figure 3 with R114
in the lower left.
1.2 Evaluation Board LEDs
The evaluation board has six LEDs, four on the GPIO pins, one for ALRT and one for VDD. S1 positions 1-4 are
in line with the GPIO pins, position 5 is ALRT and position 6 is VDD. In the OFF position, as shown in Figure 4,
the LEDs and their pull-up resistors to VDD are disconnected from the ISL94216 pins. The OFF position allows
the ISL94216 supply current to be measured without the external LED current for demonstration and/or
verification of datasheet limits.
Slide S1 positions 5 (ALRT LED D5) and 6 (VDD LED D6) up to the ON setting. D6 should light up when the
ISL94216 is powered.
1.3 Evaluation Board Communications Switches
The communication protocol of the ISL94216 is determined by the connections of the CMS0 and CMS1 pins (see
datasheet). These pins are configured by the switches on SW2 in the lower right corner of the evaluation board. In
the down position (dot) the device is configured for I2C only. By default, the GUI configures the dongle for SPI
communication. Both switches on SW2 must be in the up position (as shown in Figure 5) for proper operation
using the GUI and dongle supplied with the evaluation kit. It is important to verify SW2 is in this configuration,
otherwise the GUI does not connect to the device. With these switches in the up position the GUI can configure
the dongle and ISL94216 to use any of the three available protocols after the connect function is complete.
Figure 3. VC1 External Cell Balancing Circuitry
Figure 4. LEDs
Figure 5. Communication Switches

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1.4 Communications Dongle
The communications dongle, shown in Figure 6, is a board that isolates the ISL94216 evaluation board assembly
ground from the PC and workbench grounds. Most Battery Management Systems (BMS) operate isolated from
earth ground. IMPORTANT: When an oscilloscope probe ground is connected to the assembly it can provide a
path to earth ground, which in severe cases can reset the ISL94216. Any earth ground connection should be
made before the board is powered to avoid an unintended reset.
The dongle enables SPI, I2C, and Single Wire communications with the ISL94216. Connect the dongle to the PC
using the provided USB cable.
Using the GUI the dongle can be configured to drive or read the ISL94216 GPIO pins.
Under some circumstances the dongle draws current from the ISL94216 evaluation board, it might be necessary
to disconnect the dongle from the evaluation board if attempting to measure only the current drawn by the
ISL94216.
1.5 Resistor Ladder
A resistor ladder board is used to mimic a cell stack (limited) if a battery pack is not available. AC or heavy load
currents and cell balancing cause voltage fluctuations when using a resistor ladder that would not occur with
batteries.
Connector J3, yellow arrow in Figure 7, can be used to short out center cells for the evaluation of systems with
fewer than 16 cells. See the Reduced Cell Count section of the ISL94216 datasheet for details.
Each CELL of the resistor ladder consists of three 300Ωresistors in parallel resulting in 100Ωper cell. At a typical
operating voltage of 48V with 16 100Ωcells in series ~30mA is consumed.
Figure 6. ISO-DONGLE-EV1Z Communications Dongle

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1.6 Power Supply
If a battery pack is not available, the combination of a power supply and a resistor ladder is used. The power
supply must be selected so that it can supply the ladder, ISL94216 evaluation board, and load currents at the
required voltage without current limiting.
With the power supply output disabled, connect the negative terminal to the GND clip and the positive terminal to
the 16CELL clip on the resistor ladder board.
Set the power supply output voltage to 48V, but keep the output disabled. If using a reduced number of cells, set
to the appropriate voltage. Do not exceed 55V VBAT or 4.8V per cell, whichever is lower.
1.7 Current Meter
The current meter is used to measure the current consumed by the ISL94216 Evaluation Board and/or load. If a
multimeter is used, make certain it is connected and set to measure current. The current meter should be
connected in place of either jumper J9 or J10 on the evaluation board. The text in the following sections assumes
this meter is installed at J10. The jumpers must be installed except in special cases, such as the insertion of the
current meter or as described in “High Current Loads” on page 9. The meter should be connected before the
power supply output is enabled, or a battery pack is connected to the evaluation board.
1.8 Voltmeter
The voltmeter is used to measure various voltages of interest on the ISL94216 BMS assembly. The
recommended startup connection is Pack+ (J7) vs Pack- (J8).
1.9 Oscilloscope
For capture of communications, analog and digital signals associated with the ISL94216 as needed.
Figure 7. Resistor Ladder Board

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1.10 BMS Assembly
The three boards described previously are connected together as shown in Figure 8.
The resistor ladder and ISL94216 evaluation boards connectors line up Pin 1 to Pin 1 with a total of 17 pins. Pin 1
of both connectors is at the bottom of the mated pair shown in Figure 8 and Figure 9.
The dongle and ISL94216 evaluation board connectors line up Pin 1 to Pin 1, though the dongle has four extra
pins. These extra pins are for use with other evaluation boards. Take note of the orientation of the two connectors
in the assembly images (Figures 8, 9, 10). When you have verified all of the connections, proceed to the next
section.
1.11 High Current Loads
The evaluation board as configured in Figure 8 is only capable of sourcing low load currents without inducing
measurement errors. Jumper J9 connects the low-side current sense resistor to the bottom of the resistor ladder
through the VC0 sense line. Jumper J10 connects the high-side load/charge path to the top of the resistor ladder
through the VC16 sense line. This configuration routes load current through the voltage sense lines, which can
induce offset errors in the cell measurements. A setup using a resistor ladder is not appropriate for charging tests.
For high currents a properly sized connection must be made between J3 and the negative terminal of the supply
(or battery pack), then J9 should be removed. Another wire from J2 to the positive terminal of the supply is also
necessary, then J10 should be removed. This separates the voltage sense lines from the load/charge current path
to reduce errors to a minimum and is the recommended configuration for all applications.
Figure 8. BMS Assembly
Figure 9. Cell Connection Figure 10. Dongle Connection

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2. ISL94216 GUI Start
Open the workbook to get started, there is no installation required. Macros are automatically disabled on some
PCs; if the message SECURITY WARNING Macros have been disabled is visible beneath the menu bar, select
Enable Content. This is shown in the Figure 11.
Press the Launch button to start the GUI. The first time the GUI is launched the Renesas Software License
Agreement pop-up opens, select I accept the agreement and click Continue after reviewing it to start the GUI.
The Renesas SLA opens each time the GUI is launched unless the spreadsheet is saved before closing.
When launching the GUI from the workbook, occasionally Excel stops responding and/or crashes. If this occurs,
re-open the workbook and press <Alt> + <F11> to open the VBA editor. From here either press the green play
button, outlined in red in Figure 12, or press <F5> to launch the GUI.
Launching from the VBA editor can open the Demo GUI. Select the Exit Demo shown in Figure 13 button to close
this and open the Evaluation GUI. The use of the Demo GUI is covered later in this document.
Figure 11. GUI Start
Figure 12. VBA Editor Figure 13. Exit Demo

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2.1 Power Supply
Enable the power supply connected to the resistor ladder board (or connect the battery pack). With VBAT set to
48V, the power supply should source ~32mA.
Typical power supplies only source current, this prevents demonstration of charging features using this type of
supply. A battery pack or four-quadrant source/sink type of supply is required to demonstrate charging. Only a
battery pack is suitable for cell balancing examples.
2.2 Connect
The GUI must detect the presence of both the evaluation board and dongle to operate, this is referred to as the
Connect step. Insert the USB cable between the dongle and PC, then connect the dongle to the evaluation board.
Press the green Connect button to start the detection process as shown in Figure 14.
The device must be powered for this step to complete successfully. If the device is not powered up, an error
message is displayed informing you that there was a communication error. When this error occurs you should
either unplug then re-plug in the communications dongle, or press the reset button on the dongle (highlighted in
Figure 15).
You must have read/write access permission for the USB port, this might require intervention by your IT
resource(s) if Connect continuously fails.
2.3 Initialization
On startup, the GUI displays that the ISL94216 settings are empty. The ISL94216 has started up in its default
configuration (see the ISL94216 datasheet). The displays must be synchronized with the ISL94216 by reading the
present values from the device into the displays. After this, a basic Initialization is also recommended.
2.3.1 Read Settings
Click on the Read Settings button on the left side of the GUI to sync the information displayed in the GUI to the
settings in the ISL94216. This button operates in all but SHIP Mode.
Figure 14. Connect
Figure 15. Reset Button

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2.3.2 Basic Init
Click on the Basic Init button on the top center of the GUI to set the ISL94216 into an operational mode chosen
for evaluation purposes. This button automatically synchronizes displays to the settings in the ISL94216 after they
are initialized. Basic Init operates regardless of mode as it begins with a hard RESET.
Following execution of Basic Init, the main display is shown in Figure 16:
Screen captures of Basic Init settings displayed in the tab panels can be found in “Appendix A” on page 39.
Figure 16. Main Display Following Execution of Basic Init

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3. SCAN Mode
For normal operation during charging or discharging of the Battery Pack, the ISL94216 should be in SCAN Mode.
The system Mode is controlled by the Scan Operation register, shown in Tab l e 1 and Ta ble 2 . The POR/RESET
defaults are highlighted in yellow.
The System Mode bits are used to manually put the ISL94216 into a specific mode.
A variety of important controls are changed from the default setting during Basic Init, some are set as shown in
Figure 17. These settings can be found on the System tab. Review the datasheet descriptions for each of these
registers to familiarize yourself with the control functions before proceeding.
Bit 1 of the Global Operations register is set to 1 for Single Scan. With this setting, a System Trigger initiates a
single measurement scan of all enabled measurements. If Bit 1 is set to 0 when a System Trigger is executed, the
device runs Continuous Scans.
All of the Measure Enable Bits are set to enable measurement of all inputs during a system scan. The Measure
Averaging setting for the measurements is set to 1.
The System Mode (Bits 7:6 of the Scan Operation register) are set to SCAN Mode. The Scan Delay bits are set to
256ms. Scan Delay only operates when running Continuous Scans.
The Low Power Timer sets the number of scans without a charge or discharge current detection required for the
device to transition to low power mode.
3.1 Busy Bit
The ISL94216 has a read-only bit that indicates when the device is busy making measurements, Bit 2 of the
Global Operations register. The bit is 1 when the device is busy measuring and 0 when idle. The bit value status is
inverted and output on the ALRT pin if Mask Register 0x65 Bit 0 is set to 0 (done by Basic Init). ALRT is low when
the device is busy and transitions high when measurements complete. This bit combined with ALRT is useful for
applications and bench debug.
Table 1. 0x2E Scan Operation
Bits D[7:6] D[5:3] D[2:0]
Bit Name System Mode Low Power Timer Scan Delay
Default 00 01 1 011
Table 2. SM Mode
D[7:6] SM Mode
00 IDLE mode
01 SCAN mode
10 LOW POWER mode
11 SHIP mode
Figure 17. Basic Init

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3.2 Single System Scans
Select the check box for Bit 0 of the Global Operations register, then click on the Write button (Figure 18) to
trigger a single system scan while watching ALRT LED D5. With Bits 0 and 1 selected, we are writing 0x03 to this
register.
The LED should flash on for approximately 220ms given the Basic Init settings. The single system scan runs all
tests on each trigger. Switch to the Measurement Tab. Switching tabs automatically performs reads relevant to
tab being switched to, so the measurements should automatically update on switching. Additionally, the Read
Measurements button (Figure 19) can be clicked to confirm that the values were properly read by the GUI.
Check the Scan before Read box (Figure 20) then click the Read Measurements button. This triggers a system
scan then displays the results of the measurements. As long as the device is in SCAN Mode and Scan before
Read is checked, clicking the Read Measurements button operates in this manner. The Scan before Read box
signals the GUI software to send a System Trigger and waits for the measurements to complete, then reads back
the results. If the Scan before Read box is not checked, the button only executes a read.
3.2.1 Measure Enable Bits
As previously shown, the ISL94216 has several measure enable bits that allow you to control what is executed
during a system scan. If the enable bits are set to 1, the related measurements are executed during a single
system scan. Cell Voltage, IPack, Pack Voltage and Internal Temperature measurements along with Open-Wire
detection can all be enabled or disabled. Additionally, there are four options for ETAUX: None, Only Aux0, Only
Aux 1, or both. The Basic Init function enables all measurements and both thermistors.
If available, connect an oscilloscope probe to the ALRT pin and the ground to one of the DGND pins. Set up the
scope to view a signal of 0V to 3.3V and a time span of 400ms to 500ms with a negative edge trigger. If a scope is
not available, the ALRT LED is the indicator to be observed.
Note: The connection of the oscilloscope ground to the board ground can reset the ISL94216 if the board was
floating relative to earth ground prior to this connection. If this happens, execute Basic Init to put the ISL94216
back to the required mode and settings. The dongle isolates the evaluation board ground from the PC ground. If
the negative terminal of the power supply is not isolated from ground then the evaluation board is not either.
Check the Scan before Read box then click the Read Measurement button (Figure 16) to trigger a single system
scan and display the results of the measurements. The scope capture should look similar to the image in
Figure 21.
Figure 18. Single Scan Figure 19. Read Figure 20. Scan

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Experiment by disabling all but one Measurement Enable bit to see the busy times for each section.
Also, look at the effect on the measurement time of the averaging settings. The capture in Figure 21 was obtained
with all measurements enabled and all averaging set to minimum.
3.3 Continuous System Scans
In the Global Operations register, clear all checked bits then click on the Write button to write 0x00. Select the
Read button to read back and confirm the setting. The device is now set for continuous system scans, though we
have not triggered it to start.
Before beginning continuous scans enable the power FETs. Though not required to perform continuous system
scans, it is necessary to demonstrate the automatic FET response of various faults in the coming sections. To
enable the power FETs, locate the PowerFets box on the left side of the GUI, check the 0x24.7 CPMP EN box,
which enables the charge pump. Click the CFET and DFET buttons; they should turn green. Click the Read Pwr
button and confirm that the CPMP EN box is checked and the CFET and DFET buttons are green as seen in
Figure 22
Next, check the Status tab to see that the status Bit 0x65.5 CP NRDY is now clear.
Select the check box for Bit 0 of the Global Operations register then click on the Write button below it to trigger a
continuous system scan while watching ALRT LED D5. The LED is flashing because a continuous system scan is
now running. With the settings given previously, the LED flashes about every 290ms, the first flash is ~220ms
while most flashes are for ~35ms with the present settings. See 0x1B.5:4 Update Other and 0x03.6:6 OW Update
sections in the datasheet as these affect the length of some subsequent scans. To stop the scan, clear all bits of
register 0x01 and set (check) Bit 0x01.1 Sys Select, then click on the Write button below it. Writing a value of
0x02 to register 0x01 stops the continuous scan.
Figure 21. Oscilloscope Measurement Results
Figure 22. Power FETs

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Any changes to settings that are used as controls or thresholds during system scan (single or continuous) must
be made when the system scan is STOPPED.
Experiment with the Measure Averaging settings on the System tab and note the change in the duration the
busy bit sets the ALRT output low. Use an oscilloscope to measure the pulse width if one is available.
Be sure to stop the scan by setting Bit 0x01.1 Sys Select before making changes and restarting the scan.
The Scan Delay bits of the Scan Operation register control the delay time between finishing a System Scan
measurement/test sequence in continuous scan mode and starting a new one. The various settings are shown in
Tabl e 3 . Experiment with the SCAN DELAY bit settings in the Scan Operation register and note the change in the
delay between ALRT output low periods. Remember, the scan must be stopped to make changes to settings used
during scan.
Stop the continuous system scan by setting Bit 0x01.1 Sys Select before proceeding to the next step.
3.4 Low Power Timer
The Low Power Timer bits select the number of consecutive System Scans with a current reading below the
charge and discharge thresholds required before the ISL94216 transitions from SCAN Mode to LOW POWER
Mode. Table 4 shows the various Low Power Timer settings.
In the 0x2E Scan Operation area on the System Tab, set the mode to SCAN, set the Low Power Timer to 512
scans, and the scan delay to 64ms. With these settings, each scan takes ~100ms. If the IPack voltage is between
approximately ±200µV for 512 consecutive scans, the device transitions from SCAN to LOW POWER Mode.
Execute a few single system scans, if the IPack voltage is not within the ±200µV range and/or the indicator in the
PowerFets block is not No Charge as seen in Figure 23,then short out the IPack current sense resistor with a
jumper across the 2-pin CS connector. This should only be done if no significant load is present. It might be
necessary to set all S1 switches to OFF.
Table 3. Scan Delay
Delay: D[2:0] Delay (ms)
0000
00164
0 1 0 128
0 1 1 256
1 0 0 512
1 0 1 1024
1 1 0 2048
1 1 1 4096
Table 4. Low Power Timer
Delay: D[5:3] Number of Scans
000OFF
0 0 1 512
0 1 0 1024
0 1 1 2048
1 0 0 4096
1 0 1 8192
1 1 0 16384
1 1 1 32768

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Set the Global Operations register to 0x01 to trigger a continuous system scan and watch the ALRT LED. After
less than 60 seconds, the frequency of the LED flashing significantly decreases to ~2s as the device has
transitioned from SCAN to LOW POWER Mode.
Click the Read Page button on the system tab and confirm the mode has switched to LOW PWR as shown in
Figure 24
Figure 23. Power FETs Figure 24. Scan Operation

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4. IDLE Mode
IDLE Mode is the default mode following POR, RESET, or Reset-to-IDLE. An Important difference between IDLE
and SCAN Modes is neither continuous nor single system scans can be executed in IDLE Mode. Current direction
bits CHRGI and DCHRGI do not operate in IDLE Mode, current direction dependent faults set without regard to
the current direction but the MCU is required to enable/disable CFET and DFET in IDLE Mode.
Put the ISL94216 in IDLE Mode. On the Meas tab with the 0x01.0 Scan before Read box checked, click the read
measurements button. Note the displays are not updated. Uncheck the Scan before Read box then use System
Trigger Bit 0x01.0 to execute a system trigger followed by Read Measurements. Again the displays are not
updated and the ALRT LED does not flash. Leave the Scan before Read box unchecked in IDLE Mode.
With the device in IDLE Mode, the individual trigger bits, as opposed to the System Trigger, must be used. The
individual trigger bits operate in both SCAN and IDLE Modes.
4.1 VCell Trigger
On the Meas tab, select VCell from the drop-down menu and press the Trigger Individual button. This writes a 1
to VCell Operation Bit 0x02.0, which triggers a VCell measurement. The ALRT LED flashes during the
measurement. Click Read Measurements and note that only the cell voltages, shown in Figure 25, update. On
the System tab, increase the Measurement Averaging count for VCell to 128. Trigger another VCell
Measurement and note that the LED on time has increased, indicating a longer measurement period.
4.1.1 Cell Select
Cell Select register settings (Figure 26) are found on the System tab of the GUI.
Figure 25. VCell Measure
Figure 26. Cell Select

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The Cell Select register sets which and how many cells the ISL94216 manages. If the box (and associated bit)
corresponding to a particular cell is 0 and grayed out, that cell is not measured or compared to thresholds.
Clicking on any of the cell boxes toggles between a green box with a 1, and a gray box with a 0. Clicking Select
Cells writes the displayed selections to registers 0x04 and 0x05. Cells represented by a green box are enabled
while cells represented by a gray box are disabled. Toggle the boxes for Cells 8 and 9 to gray, then click the
Select Cells button.
Trigger a cell voltage measurement. The ALRT LED flashes during the measurement. Click Read Voltages and
note that all of the cell voltages update except Cells 8 and 9.
Enable Cells 8 and 9 before proceeding to the next section.
4.1.2 VCell Fault Detection
VCell Fault detection threshold register settings (Figure 27) are found on the Voltage tab of the GUI.
During cell voltage measurement each enabled cell voltage is compared to both overvoltage (0x06) and
undervoltage (0x07) threshold registers. The lowest cell voltage is subtracted from the highest cell voltage and
this difference is compared to the VCell Delta Voltage (0x08) threshold. A threshold violation sets the fault bit
associated with that threshold.
Enter a voltage in the box labeled 0x06 VCell OV that is less than at least one of the cell voltages, then click on
Write Thresh and Read buttons. The GUI sets the threshold to the closest possible voltage setting without
exceeding the entered value. Trigger a cell voltage measurement then Read Measurements. Notice the fault is
indicated in both the Faults and Indicators box and on the VCell Portion of the Voltage tab as shown in
Figure 28.
If in SCAN Mode the Power FETs have been disabled, but they remain on if in IDLE Mode or if no charge current
is detected. Check the Pack+ voltage on the evaluation board with the multimeter to verify. Press the Read Pwr
button in the PowerFets block.
Figure 27. VCell Thresholds
Figure 28. OV Fault

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Click on the Clear Faults then the Read Faults button and note the faults are now cleared. Whenever a Clear
Faults is performed it should be followed by a Read Faults to verify the desired fault has been cleared. This is
equivalent to writing a 1 to the VCell Operations register Bit 0x02.1, this bit is adjacent to the VCell Trigger bit.
Re-enable the Power FETs by clicking on the gray CFET and DFET buttons, they should turn green. Verify with
the multimeter. Note the FETs are enabled while there is a cell overvoltage condition. The fault check is a digital
compare accomplished during the cell voltage measurement. Trigger another VCell measurement and verify the
fault is detected and if the FETs have shut off.
Click on the Clear Faults button and note the faults are now cleared. Re-enable the Power FETs by clicking on
the red CFET and DFET buttons, they should return to green. Set the VCell OV Threshold register to 4820mV.
Trigger another VCell measurement and verify no fault is detected and the FETs stay on.
Experiment with threshold registers 0x07 UV Threshold and 0x08 Delta VCell Threshold using the previous
sequence in both IDLE and SCAN Modes to verify the function of each. Similar to OV detection, a UV detection
requires a discharge current detection to shut off the power FET(s).
Before proceeding to the next section, click on the Clear Fault button and re-enable the Power FETs by clicking
on the red CFET and DFET buttons. Set the VCell OV, UV, and Delta V Threshold registers to default. Trigger
another VCell measurement and verify no fault is detected and the FETs stay on.
4.2 IPack Trigger
Trigger a pack current measurement by selecting IPack from the drop-down menu on the Meas tab, then pressing
Trigger Individual. The ALRT LED flashes during the measurement. Click Read Measurements and note only
the IPack current measurements (Figure 31) update. Change the Measure Averaging for IPack on the System
tab, trigger another measurement and note the LED on time has increased indicating a longer measurement
period.
Figure 29. FET Status (Disabled) Figure 30. Faults and Status
Figure 31. IPack Measure