The reason for having a BMS is that it protects the cells from overcharging, over discharging, or short-circuiting. If you connect too many cells in series, or connect them incorrectly (e.g., inserting incorrect polarity), there could be an issue with the voltage being too high or low. If this happens and the voltage reaches too high of an amount, then one of your cells could explode—which is not good at all!
With a BMS system in place, you can ensure that your lithium battery pack has the correct voltage for safe operation and longevity of the battery cells themselves.
Lithium batteries don’t require battery management systems (BMS) to operate. In fact, you can connect several lithium cells in series to make a battery pack without any kind of BMS, and it will still be able to power various loads and be charged just fine. So then why do lithium batteries need BMS? The answer is safety and also lifespan.
The reason why lithium batteries require a BMS is because they are more susceptible to damage caused by overcharging or over-discharging. This means that if you attach too many cells together and then try to charge them at the same time, they could become damaged as a result. When this happens, the cells will become unusable and should be replaced with new ones.
Battery management courses also help prolong the lifespan of your lithium battery by limiting its maximum voltage output. This is helpful because high voltages can lead to overheating which can lead to degradation of the electrodes and electrolyte causing irreversible damage over time.
This is because lithium batteries are protected by a battery management system. This system ensures that the cells remain within safe operating limits, and take action as soon as any one of the individual cells start going outside the limits. The action taken depends on the Battery analyzer; a good one will disconnect loads if the voltage goes too low, and disconnect chargers if the voltage goes too high. It will also check that the voltage of each cell in the pack is the same, and bring down the voltage of any cell that is higher than the others. This ensures that cells cannot get to dangerously high or low a voltage – which is usually what, causes the lithium battery fires that we see in the news. It can even monitor temperature conditions to ensure safety before allowing charging or discharging to take place.
The most important function of a lithium Battery development boards is to ensure that cells remain within safe operating limits. The BMS can monitor battery temperature as well, and disconnect any pack before it gets hot enough to catch on fire. It's important to have this protection in place so your lithium batteries do not overheat and start catching fire, which is why having a good battery management system is so important.