The COVID-19 pandemic has already had a serious impact on the global economy. Many countries have resorted to restricting the movement of people, which not only triggered a surge in the demand for home offices and remote working and teaching, but also pushed business opportunities for cloud services. In recent years, the backup power supply of cloud data centers has gradually developed from uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to backup battery units (BBU). Compared with traditional UPS using lead-acid batteries, BBU uses lithium batteries and so offers a higher power conversion efficiency and less space consumption. This is more in line with the space and power requirements of data centers.

As the power of server cabinets continues to increase, large-scale data center operators propose applying BBUs to high-voltage cabinets, in order to create a better power supply efficiency. The BBU architecture is designed as DC to DC, and a single module is about 200Wh~2kWh/voltage 48V. During the charging or discharging test process, an instant high-power discharge must be performed to simulate the actual use of a backup battery unit and the BMS status data be retrieved for comparison and analysis.

In response to these demands, Chroma 17020/17020E charging/discharging equipment provides a complete solution for server battery testing. Already successfully adopted by well-known NB battery module manufacturers, its functional verification in the development and design stages attained approval by end customers. The test system suits a variety of purposes, including BBU endurance testing, incoming and outgoing product inspection, design verification, battery pack capacity learning, et cetera.

Chroma 17020 has the following characteristics:

• Voltage range of 20V, 60V, 100V, 200V, 500V and power range of 600W~2.5kW per channel to fulfill the BBU power and voltage requirements. The parallel function meets the demands of instant high-power discharge. 17020 offers an easy ride along both current and future BBU developments. 
• Software integration of the communication interface with an optional BMS communication unit. Even during the charging/discharging process, 17020 reads and records the data of multiple battery management systems through SMbus and I2C communication. This BMS data, then, can be converted into protection conditions or cut-off conditions. The test system so not only provides users with a safer testing process, but also is a time safer when it comes to organizing large amounts of data. 
• Regenerative function recycling the energy from the battery pack either to a battery pack in need of charging or back to the mains grid. The 17020 equipment does not produce huge heat dissipation during the battery discharge process, which reduces the need for air conditioning. Such optimal utilization helps companies controlling their environmental footprint as well as saving big on electricity costs.

Backup power is an important part of the data center and its reliability and safety are primary considerations. Chroma also provides an automated test system that complies with battery modules, directed at different stages of product verification, which through fully automated test procedures actively reduces users' testing troubles.