If your lithium iron phosphate battery, which has been stored for a long time, fails to power your device, it's not a sign of battery failure, but rather that the battery has entered a sleep mode—a form of self-protection. So how do you wake up a sleeping lithium iron phosphate battery? Let's find out!
If you are unfamiliar with lithium iron phosphate batteries, you may not know about sleep mode or protection mode. Both of these modes are part of the battery management system (BMS) built into the battery. They are designed to facilitate the management of lithium iron phosphate batteries and to detect and monitor the battery status in real time. By setting certain limiting conditions, when the conditions are met, protective measures are taken to shut down the battery until it can be safely operated again.
Sleep mode means that the lithium iron phosphate battery is in an unused and low-charge state. To conserve power and extend battery life, the power output is disconnected. Protection mode, on the other hand, refers to the safety functions built into the battery management system (BMS) to prevent potential damage or dangerous situations. When a LiFePO4 battery enters protection mode, it usually means that certain conditions or parameters have been exceeded, such as overcharging, over-discharging, over-temperature, overcurrent, or short circuit. These situations will trigger the BMS's protection mode, so sleep mode is essentially an extension of protection mode.
Under what circumstances will a device enter hibernation mode?
This typically happens when a battery is not used for an extended period. Due to prolonged inactivity, the battery undergoes self-discharge, and when the battery cell pack drops significantly below the voltage cutoff (LVC) threshold, the battery management system (BMS) enters a dormant mode.
How to wake up from sleep mode?
A dormant battery can be activated by charging or woken up by communication.
Charging activation: Connect the dormant battery to the manufacturer-supplied dedicated charger for charging activation to prevent any damage or overcharging.
Wake-up via communication: Connect the dormant battery to the host computer or battery-using device to wake it up via communication.
How can we reduce the occurrence of this situation?
To reduce the occurrence of such situations, regular battery maintenance is necessary. This prevents unnecessary problems from arising when the battery is not used for extended periods, thus affecting its normal operation. Therefore, when batteries are not used for long periods, they should be stored at room temperature with a charge level between 40% and 60%, and it is recommended to charge them every 3 months to prevent the lithium iron phosphate batteries from being fully discharged, ensuring their health. For more specific maintenance instructions, please follow the lithium iron phosphate battery operation instructions and precautions provided by the manufacturer.
Will regular charging affect the lifespan of lithium iron phosphate batteries?
No! As long as you don't let the battery be fully discharged before recharging, your battery will remain in good health. Many lithium iron phosphate batteries have a cycle life of 10 years/2,000 cycles. For example, Juda's 26650 lithium iron phosphate cells, including the IFR26650-30B and IFR26650-33A cells with 100% DOD, can even achieve a cycle life of over 3,000 cycles.
