This week, AVweb’s news roundup found reports on aircraft battery approvals, new USB charging ports and the signing of a service agreement for a training management system. Battery manufacturer True Blue Power announced the TSO certification of its Gen5 main ship lithium-ion battery family. The batteries received a C179b CLASS A-4B rating after undergoing testing including thermal runaway containment, constant voltage discharge, drop impact resistance, explosion containment and overcharge protection.
True Blue Power also introduced its new TA360 series USB-PD charging port. The TA360 series offers high-speed charging, provides 60 watts of power per port, and offers in-seat, cabin, cockpit and galley installation. Finally, training management solutions company MINT Software Systems announced that it has signed a service agreement with TAP Portugal to implement of its web-based training and qualification management system MINT TMS. MINT TMS provides features including online access to training schedules, electronic grading forms, schedule management, classroom distribution and student allocation.
Sounds good but I don’t see anything new. The most valuable item you can have on a pack appears to be missing. This looks like a passive system. The best protection and dependability is having an Active Balance system that controls each series with a good BMS. This prevents runaway which is what can cause a fire or shorten the cycle life. These also look very heavy to be used in aviation. The watts sounds good but remember – at 60 watts, that is only 5 amps at 12 DC volts. Battery packs are not nearly as scary as the price!