Electronics

Panasonic's tiny new battery is destined for the wearables market

Panasonic's tiny new battery is destined for the wearables market
The CG-320 makes a AAA look pretty big
The CG-320 makes a AAA look pretty big
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The CG-320 makes a AAA look pretty big
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The CG-320 makes a AAA look pretty big
It incorporates the same spiral electrode construction as used in regular cylindrical Li-ion batteries
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It incorporates the same spiral electrode construction as used in regular cylindrical Li-ion batteries

While keeping batteries small and light is definitely a factor with electronic devices in general, it becomes particularly important when dealing with wearable electronics such as smart glasses. With that in mind, Panasonic has just announced its CG-320. Measuring 20 x 3.5 mm, it's being billed as "the industry's smallest cylindrical shaped rechargeable Lithium Ion battery."

The CG-320 weighs 0.6 grams, has a nominal capacity of 13 mAh, a nominal voltage of 3.75 volts, and a maximum charging voltage of 4.2 volts. It also has a stainless steel exterior case, designed to prevent swelling.

It incorporates the same spiral electrode construction as used in regular cylindrical Li-ion batteries
It incorporates the same spiral electrode construction as used in regular cylindrical Li-ion batteries

The battery incorporates the same spiral electrode construction as used in regular cylindrical Li-ion batteries. This allows for a relatively wide area between the anode and cathode, which in turn results in high output for its size – enough to power near-field communications (NFC) systems, which will be one of its main applications.

Along with wearables, Panasonic also envisions the CG-320 being used in devices such as electronic pens and hearing aids. Mass production of the battery is planned to begin next February.

Source: Panasonic

2 comments
2 comments
MarylandUSA
Just 13 milliamp-hours? I know that watches are small, but readers whose phone batteries can hold 2,000 to 5,000 mAH will wonder, "Just how long will this battery last on a single charge?" and "How does 13mAH compare with a typical rechargeable cell found in a wearable computer?"
John Hagen-Brenner
I found an e-cigarette on the street, took it home and pulled it apart. It had a nice little cylindrical battery in it... about 5mm dia by 35mm and it metered at about 3.2 V. Pretty punchy for such a small package. You could fly it in a model rocket payload and use it to fire a chute charge or something.