Customer Case | High Accuracy Battery Simulator Empower Efficient Testing for a Global Top 5 AFE Chip Manufacturer

What is an AFE chip?
AFE (Analog Front End) chips are integrated circuits used for analog signal acquisition and processing. They amplify, filter, sample, and quantify input signals for analysis by MCUs. AFE chips are core components in automotive BMS (Battery Management Systems) and energy storage BMS, with their performance directly impacting the accuracy and reliability of BMS operations. Consequently, AFE chip testing has become a critical focus for manufacturers.

Customer Background
Customer N is one of the world's top five AFE chip manufacturers and the largest automotive semiconductor supplier globally. Operating in over 30 countries and regions, the company employs approximately 30,000 people and achieved annual revenue of $13.28 billion in 2023. As a leader in the automotive semiconductor industry, Customer N has a robust AFE product portfolio for automotive BMS applications. It controls the entire production process, from design and wafer manufacturing to packaging and testing.

Customer N seeks comprehensive testing for its AFE chips during R&D and production phases. In discussions, the customer outlined the following key testing requirements:
1. Multi-Function
It covers single cell voltage acquisition, cell equalization, SOC/SOH state estimation, abnormal alarm and protection. For AFE chip test equipment, multiple function should be satisfied, and the occupied space should be minimized.
2. High Accuracy
The voltage measurement accuracy of Customer N’s AFE chips is as high as 0.8mV, with standby power consumption as low as 1μA. -The testing equipment must achieve a voltage simulation accuracy of 0.25mV and provide μA-level leakage current measurement capabilities.
3. Multi-Channel Synchronous Aging
Customer N’s typical AFE products consist of 14 series-connected cells, with a channel synchronization requirement of ≤1ms for individual cell voltage measurements. Future products will support higher series counts to meet the increasing battery cell requirements of 800 V platform electric vehicles. The testing equipment must support a minimum of 14 channels per device, with synchronization response ≤1ms, and scalability for higher series counts.

NGI Series High Accuracy Battery Simulators
Recommended Product: N9000
1. Modular Design: 4U chassis integrates 36×single-cell simulation+36×fault simulation+36×temperature simulation, occupying 45% less space than traditional solutions.
2. High-Speed Synchronous Control: Command response time ≤1ms; synchronization across 200+ channels within 200μs, meeting mainstream AFE chip synchronization testing requirements.
3. Ultra-High Accuracy: Voltage output accuracy up to 0.1mV, aligned with the trend of increasing AFE chip accuracy.

Recommended Product: N8336
1. High Accuracy Voltage Output: Voltage accuracy up to 0.1mV, meeting the needs of advanced AFE chip development.
2. High Accuracy Current Measurement: Supports nA-level leakage current measurement, eliminating the need for additional data acquisition modules, saving space and cost.
3. High Integration: 2U chassis integrates 16-channel cell simulation, with cascading support for AFE multi-channel development trends.

NGI's high performance battery simulators have been widely adopted by global leading AFE chip manufacturers such as NXP, Infineon, and Aerospace Microelectronics, empowering breakthroughs in technology and ensuring reliable production testing.