Battery charger monitor with charge balancing between batteries in a battery supply

A battery charger comprising:

• a plurality of resistors;
• a plurality of switches;
• at least one voltmeter configured to measure a voltage across each battery in a plurality of batteries;
• a current source configured to supply an electrical current to the plurality of batteries to recharge the batteries in the plurality of batteries;
• and
• a controller operatively connected to the plurality of switches, the current sensor, and the current source, the controller being configured to:
• receive from the at least one voltmeter a voltage measurement for each battery in the plurality of batteries;
• identify a least voltage measurement in the voltage measurements received from the at least one voltmeter;
• identify the batteries in the plurality of batteries that have a voltage measurement that is greater than a predetermined voltage amount that is predetermined before receipt of the voltage measurements from the at least one voltmeter the least voltage measurement;
• operate the switches to connect one of the resistors in the plurality of resistors in parallel across each battery having a voltage measurement that is greater than the least voltage measurement plus the predetermined voltage amount that is predetermined before receipt of the voltage measurements from the at least one voltmeter in a one-to-one correspondence;
• and
• operate the current source to supply the electrical current to the plurality of batteries.

A method of monitoring recharging of batteries in a plurality of batteries comprising:

• receiving with a controller a voltage measurement for each battery in a plurality of batteries from a voltmeter configured to measure a voltage across each battery in the plurality of batteries;
• identify with the controller a least voltage measurement in the voltage measurements received from the voltmeter;
• identify with the controller the batteries in the plurality of batteries that have a voltage measurement that is greater than a predetermined voltage amount that is predetermined before receipt of the voltage measurements from the at least one voltmeter the least voltage measurement;
• and
• operate with the controller switches in a plurality of switches to connect resistors in a plurality of resistors in parallel across each battery having a voltage measurement that is greater than the least voltage measurement plus the predetermined voltage amount that is predetermined before receipt of the voltage measurements from the at least one voltmeter in a one-to-one correspondence between resistors and batteries.