Battery Packs - Where to buy them

Ok, here goes
I am planning an e-bike build, it's been in the works for some time and I am now finalizing and starting to purchase all my needed goodies. I have several questions regardng batteries.
1, I am a larger person and was wondering if a 36v or a 48v system would be better?
2 The dewalt 36v battery pack, does anyone know the ah rating on them?
3 Is it better to buy a back or make my own?



Cheers
Bunga :oops:
 
Hi,

BungaEBiker said:
Ok, here goes
I am planning an e-bike build, it's been in the works for some time and I am now finalizing and starting to purchase all my needed goodies. I have several questions regardng batteries.
1, I am a larger person and was wondering if a 36v or a 48v system would be better?
2 The dewalt 36v battery pack, does anyone know the ah rating on them?
3 Is it better to buy a back or make my own?

Cheers
Bunga :oops:

1. http://www.ebikes.ca/simulator/
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1499

2 (and 3): http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2498
3. http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5416
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4455
 
A request: Please don't call batteries LiPO4 or Lithium Phosphate and especially not Lithium ion phosphate when you mean LiFePO4 or Lithium Iron Phosphate. It's very confusing :wink:
 
Thanks Mitch

Has anyone ever baught batteries from this site? http://www.batteryspace.com/
They seem to have alot of batteries and have a section for e-bikes. Some of the batteries look realy spiffy and others are run of the mill. If they are a good resource then WOOHOOO
 
How far are you needing to go? Hills? Etc. Details are good.

If money isn't an issue go with DeWalt A123 for sure. High power LiPo from BatterySpace I'm sure would work to ( http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=1260 ). They are kind of generic, but I haven't really heard anything bad so far. Some members like Methods have been having fun with RC LiPo packs ( http://www.hobbycity.com ). Some people will warn of the hazards of LiPo and 'splosions/fires, which can be true if mis-managed. If you worry about that then LiMn or LiFePO4 are the better chemistries out there. You'll hear about Ping packs, but if you're a "bigger" guy that won't cut it power-wise probably. Are you a tinkerer? If you want to build your own pack you can get toolpacks and rip them apart for the cells. Milwaukee, DeWalt, Bosch, Makita, Rigid all have good cells... "emoli" "konion" etc.

The search box in the upper right there is your friend. There is so much information on this forum that any question you have has likely already been answered 5-10 times by the "experts". Have fun! Post pictures of your build! :D
 
methods said:
$240 for 44.4V 10Ah

And like only 7lbs... sheesh...

But... then tack on balancers/chargers etc. etc. and I'd almost just load up on like 6 $45 Bosch fatpacks for $270 @ 37v13.2ah 490wh at that point 'cause they are a "safe" chemistry (we won't go there :wink:), don't need balancing, can also deliver 15C sustained if you really need that much power and you can use any old cheapo 37v lipo charger that you probably already have laying around. The fatpacks would weigh well over twice the lipo though... 7lbs... that's yummy... :mrgreen:

Nice to see we have so many options these days!
 
Must be tough for you guys :mrgreen: I have no less than 10 lipo chargers in every flavor from 1S-6S, 12S, 24S.. My 12S and 24S chargers go at 1KW so it only takes me 45 minutes to charge up any of my big packs.

I have been modifying 12S balancers and I have tried a couple of the 24S BMS's. Still looking for a better balancing solution

Been running with the BM6 cell level monitors and that has been great!

Anyone who is already invested in Lipo cant miss... My lipo packs are 24S 10Ah (8 - 5Ah 6S packs) so fore me, this is a slam dunk.

And yes... we wont get into the chemistry arguments :roll:

-methods
 
Last year I bought four 12v 11ah Powertron SLA's from Sunn Battery, an ebay type store. They have turned out fine. The one odd thing is that each battery weighs about 6.5 lbs, which is a bit low for SLAs. I've seen other 9 &10 ah SLAs that weigh more. this is a plus.
Anybody know about the quality of Powertron?
 
I've heard that ping batteries and cell_man are the main ones to buy batteries from... right?
 
Hello battery guru,

Is Kokam selling cells to anyone or only people with big projects?

I emailed them a few times but had no luck.
 
alright well i just put in my order for headways to linda, she works there in that company, very recommended by members here but they do need a more trusty way of payment, had to pay to their paypal account of 357438051@qq.com it is weird to pay and do everything over skype instead of a site, but in the end its all the same, i hope to report back on how everything goes in 2 weeks
 
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9176

Anybody got experience with these? I noticed somebody posted earlier, and now they are even cheaper....and when I went to browse to another page I was offered them for $41.?? each!
Are these safe? As a newby, I would like to see a chemistry argument(please point to earlier one).

qty=4 T5000.6S.20 - Turnigy 5000mAh 6S 20C Lipo Pack $167.28 3652grams

...and what would I use to balance/charge them?
 
How about this? http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=18631
Turnigy 5000mAh 4S1P 14.8v 20C hardcase pack (USA Warehouse) they are backordered, but at $23.65ea, and a special offer, these seem to be a good deal at $.319 per watt hour.

Anybody know the number of life cycles to expect of these?
 
Most vendors give you a bms and a charger along with the pack, though usually a 3 amp charger. I would go with the ping as it has a good quality reputation and customer service. Never heard of that Joy company. Asked them exactly what kind of cells are in the pack.
 
Welcome to ES guys. The batteries at joyfay.com appear to be Codd Power Soft Series batteries http://www.coddpower.com/pack-16s.html It also seems that there has been some difficulty buying directly from Codd Power, although one ES member was able to find a price list on their site, which shows lower pricing than anyone else, if they would actually sell to anyone! http://www.coddpower.com/price/pack%20price.pdf You can find another website that sells Codd Power batteries here http://lifepo4.in/index.html You may be interested in following up with a discussion about packs in this ES thread http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=26591&hilit=codd+power Since both of you are first-time, one-time only posters, and the original question was about "crediblilty" it would appear that unless someone with more history dealing with JoyFay comes along, their is no crediblity.

Gary
 
thedarlington said:
i hope to report back on how everything goes in 2 weeks

Hi thedarlington,
And the report back is? Did I miss it?
 
Whenever an unknown supplier pops up, we do some basics. We check for a physical address. We do a reverse look-up on the phone number. Look for a business license in the area? In the case of JOYFAY, the results speak for themselves. There is often an ES member who lives in the area of a questionable supplier. Sometimes they drop by the business and ask some questions.
In your search you may come across a giant battery scam which was conducted from Lacey, WA.
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=18583&p=274292&hilit=+lacey%2C+wa.+#p274292
They had the lowest price LiFePo4 cells by about 10%. Many ES members lost all their money on this one. When asked for a physical address, they declined. This was enough for some of us to take our business elsewhere. Close call for me.
Perhaps you could start a new thread with the fact you are looking for a 48V pack with BMS? Searching for something specific is sometimes very challenging on ES. Be patient, there are a ton of experienced people here, and they are very responsive. Most have jobs, and don't monitor ES all day.
It can be very informative, to just spend some time blindly browsing the many forums. Get a feel for what is where.
Edit;
Read some more on LIPO using a BMS. The BMS fails and you have a little fire on your hands. I think you will find most LIPO users', balance once a week or once a month because, they don't enjoy the little fires? Lipo reminds me of a magnesium flare dropped in a rubber liferaft, which had 6" of water in it. :shock: :shock: Oh no, we have a hole in the raft. :roll: :roll: BUT THE FLARE IS GONE :!:
Edit;
And another newbee gets bit in the ass with a bargain. Made in USA. :mrgreen:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=33939
Come on fellows, take some friendly advice and quit thinking you are the greatest bargain hunters on the planet. Buy from a know source, who will support you and save your agony.
 
I am also on the hunt for a quality built lifepo4 pack . So far i'm sure I want a123 round cells. Looking for a two peice 48volt 20-30ah pack, with bms built in.
Ping is out, not enough punch, I'm running 1500 watt bmc motor. I'm not saying it can't be done with a ping. I am looking for higher c rate. I plan on flogging this thing. falconev sounds good but.........
Leaning toward cell_man. But he's unavailable till sometime in dec.
I've heard good things about him and his product.
Am I on the right page?
I found Edward Lyen through you guys and I have to say the man is with out a doubt, outstanding.
So thank you for that, and can you point me in the right direction again?
 
Dec is not so far away. Unless you live somewhere in the 12 month sunshine and want to get going.
Just one caution; If a supplier gives you a choice between 2 products, find out which is best and why? As a new buyer don't get yourself caught in the "you made the choice" trap, when it does not do the job for you. Buy a little bit more capacity than you think you need, unless you are 50kg's soaking wet and going down hill, with a tail wind, both there and back. On the other hand if you are in good shape and pedal like a demon, add that factor into the mix.
After 2 weeks on a 1000W 24" hubmotor with 48V 12Ah pack, I thought I had over done it and was thinking of switching to 1KW 26" hubmotor. Then I went a few KM more than usual, with some groceries, and barely made it home. Finding the best rig for you can be a difficult calculation. As Dogman says, an abnormally strong headwind all the way home and he is screwed.
 
I've been searching high and low for the best place to purchase a complete 72v Battery with HIgh Rate BMS
at a reasonable price.

I found BMS Battery and wrote them never got a response.
Makes me very hesitant to deal with any company that doesn't answer inquiry emails.
http://www.bmsbattery.com/packs/427-48v-10ah-38120-lifepo4-battery-16-cells-ebike-battery-pack.html

I also emailed
LifePo4 in he answered me in very broken English and didn't really answer my question.
http://www.lifepo4.in/72v10ah-.html
I noticed that his 20Ah was showing that it weighed less than the 10ah when I questioned him he recommended the 20ah
http://www.lifepo4.in/72v20ah-.html

Have any of you dealt with these companies or is there another company I should be looking at.?
 
that was a 16S BMS too so it is not a 72V battery, or he just copied mr li pings picture of a v2.5 signalab and his BMS is totally unknown.

jimmyD of headway-headquarters.com outside seattle builds 72V headway packs i bet and if not you can connect two 36V in series or i have a hack for the newer 12S headway BMS so you can use them as one 72V pack.

you could build a pack from the 20Ah A123 cells people are getting and get it spot welded where you live. and use the ping signalab in 24S version.
 
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