BA-5590 Battery Info

Description

The BA-5590 consists of two separate 15V battery packs rated at 7.5Ah. Although the battery is actually 15V, it is commonly referred to as a 12V battery. It is comprised of 2 separate strings of 5 Lithium Sulfur Dioxide cells. Each cell outputting 3.0Volts, totaling 15 Volts per string. This battery along with rechargeable versions such as the BB-2390 are amongst the most widely used and most readily available batteries in the U.S. Military.

Due to its high energy output and availability in the field, users have shown great interest in adapting these batteries for additional applications.

http://www.tacticaleng.com/Power-Products-c5.html

Wiring Options

The female connector on the BA-5590 uses a 6 pin floating connector. Pins 1 & 2 are Ground (-) and pins 4 & 5 are Positive (12V). Pins 3 & 6 are not connected inside the battery. When wired is parallel, the battery will produce 15V. When wired in series the battery will produce 30V.

When wiring in parallel pins 4 & 5 would each have a separate wire running to the battery. In series, pin 4 is wired to 5 and 5 is then wired to the battery.

It is recommended that in either case a Zener Diode is used to avoid the possibility of reverse polarity.

Some radios such as the AN/PRC-119 SINCGARS or the PRC-117 use the BA-5590 batteries wired in parallel. Other military radios such as the PRC-104HF or the LST-4 are wired in series.

To expand on the use of the BA-5590, Snap on Regulators can be used to power electronic devices requiring voltages other than 15v or 30V, such as Laptops or GPSs.

Using a BA-5590 w/Regulator

With a Regulator connected to a BA-5590, voltages can easily be set anywhere from 30V down to 5V. This makes it an ideal option when AC power is not available or time doesnt allow for charging of laptop batteries. Using a readily available BA-5590 with a Regulator set to 16V can power a Panasonic Tough Book for up to twice as long as its own internal battery . A Regulator set to 5V can also power a Garmin GPS or a Talla-Tech R-PDA for significantly longer than its own internal batteries...

Dual Voltage Regulators

Regulators can also be set up to provide two different voltages. For example, setting a Regulator to 12V and 19V with a Y cable can power a Panasonic Tough Book and a Garmin GPS simultaneously.