Difference between series and parallel connection of batteries

In the secondary battery industry, lithium polymer batteries have occupied most of the market. At the same time, there are many modular batteries and battery packs in series and parallel. What are the differences between series and parallel batteries? Today, the editor will introduce it to you.

The reason why batteries need to be series-parallel is that they need to get high voltage or high current. Connect multiple batteries in series to obtain the required working voltage. If higher capacity and higher current are needed, the batteries should be connected in parallel. There are also some battery packs that combine the series and parallel methods.


series connection

Portable devices requiring high power are usually powered by two or more batteries connected in series. If high voltage batteries are used, the size of conductors and switches can be very small. For example, the voltage used for industrial electric tools is generally 12V~19.2V for power supply, but for advanced tools, the voltage will be 24V~36V. Under the limitation of size, the battery has to be connected in series to increase the voltage.


Battery in series


parallel connection


In order to get more power, two or more batteries can be connected in parallel. In addition to connecting the batteries in parallel, another way is to use larger batteries. Due to the limitation of available batteries, this method is not applicable to all situations. In addition, large size batteries are also not suitable for the shape specifications required to make special batteries. Most chemical batteries can be used in parallel, and lithium-ion batteries are most suitable for parallel use. The voltage of the battery pack composed of four batteries in parallel is kept at 1.2V, while the current and operating time are increased to four times.