Li-SOCl₂ batteries for e-paper displays
Long idle periods followed by a short update pulse: the rest period, the update current and the temperature decide whether one cell is enough.
E-paper keeps its image without power, so most of the load is the update itself: receiving new content and driving the display, with long idle periods in between. The cell therefore has to deliver a short, comparatively strong pulse after a long rest, at whatever temperature the labels are used.
Tell us how the display is updated and how often, the current and duration of an update, the current drawn while waiting, the cut-off voltage of the display driver and the radio, and the temperature range where the labels operate — room-controlled, refrigerated or outdoor are three different cases.
What decides the battery
Update method and frequency
Radio refresh or direct write, and how many times a day
Update current and duration
The peak and the length of a display update
Idle current
What the receiver or controller draws between updates
Rest period before an update
How long the cell sits with little or no load before it is asked for current
Cut-off voltage
The level at which the display driver or the radio stops working
Operating temperature
Room-controlled, refrigerated or outdoor shelf conditions
Form factor
Enclosure depth, label thickness and any tab or connector requirement
Which configuration fits
A label updated a few times a day, with a wide voltage window, usually runs from a single ER cell. Where the update pulse is heavy relative to the cell's transient capability, or the label sits in cold storage, an ER + pulse capacitor configuration is evaluated on the measured pulse rather than assumed. Where the enclosure is too thin for a standard cell, a pack built to the available space is reviewed instead.