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Intelligent new charging technology has been introduced by 10C Technologies that uses the advantages of a battery's built-in temperature sensor but eliminates its shortcomings for the cordless power tool industry.

This technology is called S3, which translates to Sensor Safety System. Part of the 10C universal charging platform, it uses a battery's temperature-sensitive resistors when available, but also uses a secondary sensing system to provide supplemental temperature information. This is critically important, as many batteries do not contain temperature sensitive resistors and those that do can only detect temperature on one or two cells. The 10C system uses a sensor system that "looks" at and into the battery pack without the use of any contacts. This technique is applied regardless of the battery type, voltage or age, so that even 14.4-volt, 12-volt or older batteries can now be charged as safely as the premium 18-volt batteries.

The S3 System monitors most of the battery cells for excessive heating, addressing the shortcomings of local contact-based solutions. This process was developed specifically to extend battery life when combined with the 10C low heat charging system and provide a safer working environment for the battery and the person charging it.

Here's a simple illustration of how this new system can provide the added safety users are now demanding. Sometimes, a user will place the battery in the charger after limited use. The battery might be near full charge at the time; the battery could also be hot due to use or simply due to hot weather. Under these benign circumstances, charging a 14.4-volt battery could heat up nearly 20 degrees F in only a few minutes.

Repetitive use of the battery in this manner can heat the battery well beyond its safety rating. With S3 technology, the temperature of the battery would be determined and the charging stopped before the battery was allowed to go over temperature. Many major firms using cordless technology are looking for safer charging systems to lower potential problems in this area.