Electrical – Charging Lipo under load

1) No. The maximum input current is specified as 1.6 A (just look directly above the lines you have marked). Since this the absolute maximum, you should not draw more than 1.5 A from the input (the recommended current limit). There is also a (configurable) current limit to ensure that.

2) Yes and No. See above - the input is limited to 1.5A. The bq24075 has the feature of power distribution, so it will try to supply your circuit with the power it needs, and use the rest (up to the 1.5 A input current limit) to charge the battery. If the curcuit draws too much current, the battery won't be charged.

3) 5 A is the absolute maximum the bq24075 can deliver safely on its output (and the recommended operation conditions states 4.5 A as the limit for normal operations). If your circuit can draw more than that, it can (and possibley will) damage the bq24075. There is no battery current protection (see page 18 in the data sheet), except for short circuits (see same page). Note that the 1.5 A limit for the input still holds, so the battery needs to deliver more than 3.5 A to reach the limits of the bq24075.

1. Do I need to limit the current progressively as the charge progresses? Yes. My understanding is that the battery will 'accept' lower and lower current as it nears the end of charge. You will need to be able to recognize that and then choose a value at which the battery is full. For example when charging current becomes 10% of original charging current then battery is full. For a faster charge, some people might choose a larger percentage as a cutoff.

2. Do I cutoff charging when voltage reaches 25.2 volts? As you can tell from the answer to number 1, no. To charge the lithium chemistry you start with a constant CURRENT until the battery reaches final voltage (25.2) then you charge at constant VOLTAGE allowing the current to slow down as the battery fills up, terminating charge as described in question 1.

3. Any IC to build charger around? Yes, lots. You do need to know how to build a charger around the IC but look here for an example. http://www.ti.com/product/bq24616. I am sending this via my phone so please excuse me if this link doesn't work. Just go to the TI.com website and search under power management and you will find around 200 to choose from.

Finally, the BMS that you are going to use could technically control the termination of the charging of the battery and it will in fact provide the all important balance charging that your battery will require, but most people recommend using it only as a backup to a proper battery charger and not to rely on the BMS as a battery charger.

Good luck.