Design and implementation of a compact and low-cost battery management system based on Arduino Nano

Lithium batteries play a crucial role in modern electronic applications due to their high energy density and efficiency. However, factors such as temperature variations and charge/discharge cycles significantly impact battery lifespan and performance. This study presents the design and implementation of a prototype Battery Management System (BMS) using an Arduino microcomputer to monitor critical battery parameters, including voltage, temperature, and charge cycles.

The experimental framework continuously monitors critical state parameters in a 3-cell series Samsung INR18650-30Q lithium-ion configuration. Precision data acquisition is achieved via INA219 current/voltage sensors and DS18B20 temperature probes, with real-time telemetry transmitted via Wi-Fi for continuous database storage and visualization. The testing protocol systematically evaluated battery degradation dynamics under varying State of Charge (SoC) initializations (100%, 90%, 80%, and 70%) down to a 65% discharge threshold (approximately 2.8V per cell). To simulate diverse operational conditions, the system was subjected to both a 22Ω resistive load and a 0.33A inductive load.

Quantitative analyses reveal that discharging from upper SoC limits (90% to 100%) induces significantly higher thermal stress compared to the 70% to 80% regime. Furthermore, the application of the inductive load prolonged the discharge duration by 7.5 hours while maintaining a more stable and lower thermal profile than the resistive counterpart. These findings empirically validate that restricting battery operation to a 20% to 80% SoC window and a 20°C to 40°C thermal range effectively mitigates structural degradation and internal resistance escalation. Ultimately, this research underscores the efficacy of economically viable BMS architectures in optimizing battery lifecycles for advanced portable and automotive applications.