Question:
The fuel gauge is going to be used with two in series primary lithium Li/FeS2 batteries (L91). What is the difference between host and pack side devices?
Answer:
Host side devices can be placed out side of the battery pack. This allows one fuel gauge to be used per application, and when the battery is replaced, the fuel gauge remains in the application. The host must reload the configuration settings each time a battery is removed/inserted.
Pack side devices are intended to be inside the battery pack and will remain with the battery pack for the life of the battery. Pack side devices have non-volatile memory so that the settings are maintained and backed up by the IC itself. If the IC is ever reset, the settings are automatically restored from the IC itself, and does not require host interaction.