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  1. L

    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    Okay, there won't be anymore pictures - I've finished my pack and its now all wrapped up in my pannier. I did however tried the expanding foam and it kind of worked... but was very messy. So I dumped it and used a duct tape/foam tape like my booster pack. Might not be pretty but make the pack...
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    If you could only do ONE THING to manage your LiFePO4 pack..

    I have a balance wire, BMS from Ggoodrum, Icharger and I still don't use em. The only thing I do do is to use single cell charger every once in a while - not because I need to, but more for piece of mind sake. I been riding like this for more than a year and not a single cell have blown up. I...
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    Hi-power cycles Anyone have experience with them

    I would say 30 or even 40 mph is more like a goal or capability than a speed that is typically used everyday. Sure my bike could do 40+ mph but I typically do 18mph average. I guess you're not a rodie (lycra)... I do lots of trip to Vt and after grueling ascent, I typically will do 40-50+ mph...
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    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    I built a pack last year using plastic - turns out, those soft wood I'm using now is lighter (its like hobby type of wood) and thickness is about the same. Also, the plastic is harder to work with (to cut, drill, etc). But if you are precise type of person, you could build a much better looking...
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    Where to buy shims for connecting 18650's

    Try mcmaster.com Type metal on the search box - that will give you bunch of options.
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    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    No, clips didn't move or come off as I usually duct tape the whole thing. For this pack, I'll won't be using duct tape, rather, I'll be trying new foam material to encapsulate the whole thing. More contact point is always good, especially if you're building a high volt/amp pack. You have to...
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    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    Thanks, your thread is what got me started on A123 cell anyway. I agree, I can't think of anything that is more easier to build - if I had to put actual numbers, I would say you could build any pack in about a day if you have all the parts. I usually run out of parts, so it usually take weeks...
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    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    Its just electrical tape. I've do that to make sure there's not exposed metal part anywhere.
  9. L

    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    I'm done with the basic pack building. The final dimension of this pack is 6"x3"x9" - the pack is quite tidy and this 48v 12ah pack is about same size as 36v 15ah duct tape pack from Ebay. Here's nearly finished pack, Close up, Here's 12v 12ah booster pack for times when I need more power...
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    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    That's correct. The A123 cell have a paper sheathing that partially cover the negative end, making a clean contact impossible. In addition, the clip is also used to push against the strip to hold the cells in place. You could use wider copper strip and would of actually made a better...
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    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    Update - Added following information to original post. Materials needed: 1) Battery Clips from Mouser.com (Part # 534-209) - I typically buy 1000 at a time but you only need 160 or so for 48v 12ah pack. 2) Copper Strip from McMaster.com (Part # 8964K721) - this is 1/2" x 1/16 x 6' strip...
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    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    Dogman, I don't remember, its was couple/several years ago and even the pouch version is not that stable and had couple of them go bad too. I guess that is why I wanted something very simple so that I don't have to de-couple/de-solder an entire pack to troubleshoot. In the end, I just gave up on...
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    Building cylindrical battery pack for Dummy!

    After spending tons of money buying several Ebay 18650 cylindrical batteries (ping and lau's) that went bad after 6 months of usage (Lau and Ping V1), I've decided to build a battery holder to see if I could re-use some of the left over cell from those pack. I'm now only building A123 cells but...
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    Brett white on tv

    Don't pay him any attention. Its almost gastly how he could defend someone like that. Next time, give him a name - Madoff comes to mind. Sure he ripped lot of people off, but I'm sure he's sorry and is trying to rebuild his business back - right? In fact, 317537 may even got money back by...
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    Hi-power cycles Anyone have experience with them

    Here's funny thing about this thread... I don't have a good impression based on my experience with them. On the other hand, I got a rare 1000w BMC Direct Drive proto-type they got last year (1 out of 3 I believe) and this thing does 40mph at 48v (A123). I don't know what happened to their DD...
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    Where to begin

    You have couple of options... all I'm saying is to think it carefully. I've been commuting on my e-bike for couple of years (and on road bike for longer) now and it does get old quickly and sometime you just want to get in your air conditioned car and get to places fast or go to multiple places...
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    Where to begin

    Did I missed something? While its nice to go over potential what if and what not, this seems like a crazy endeavor (can't be just me). Fact is, you need a reliable transportation for your job and for your kids - day in and day out, rain or shine and snow or sleet. What are you going to do when...
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    700c vs 26"

    I'm in mid-forty if that means anything (most of my roadie buddies are over 60's :) ). Again, I think I'm just used to road bike - I even replace shock fork with rigid version. I got very nervous at high speed with the shocked fork. I don't seem to have that problem with rigid forks as I know...
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    Can Anyone Recommend A Reliable, Trusted Seller of A123?

    Mitch, I understand that its much lighter but that 3lb you're talking about still makes a difference. When I was building my Specialized RockHopper last year - the overall setup was so heavy, the bike swayed left and right. Granted, this was with 72v 22ah pack... when I've moved it down to 12ah...
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    700c vs 26"

    I don't know what it is about the 700c but it just feels better to me. I built a Specialized Rockhopper 26" and it's really hard to pedal with the thicker knobby tire and even after changing over to slicks, its not same as my Scott Sportster with 700/28 (also tried on Trek 7/3fx and same...
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    Can Anyone Recommend A Reliable, Trusted Seller of A123?

    I would be mighty interested in that 8ah cells. Any hint on its size/weight or your estimate for 36v, 48v pack?
  22. L

    Can Anyone Recommend A Reliable, Trusted Seller of A123?

    Because if you don't need that capacity, why would you want to carry all that extra weight? My regular commute is 6 miles or so. And at that distant, I use no more than 2ah and certainly less than 4ah on days I don't pedal as much, so at the most, I would build 7 or 9ah pack for this commute (I...
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    700c vs 26"

    I've noticed that most are using 26" MTB bike vs bikes with 700c wheels (hybrid/road). I had both and like the 700c due to faster speed. The shock/bounce doesn't bother me too much - but is that the reason? Just curious?
  24. L

    Can Anyone Recommend A Reliable, Trusted Seller of A123?

    Agree - whatever is your requirement is, if you got it cheap, then it's a winner. I just happened to get ton of it for really cheap as part of a larger business deal. I also agree, I used to build 20ah packs then realize I only use 4-5ah at the most (pedal rest of time) so I'm just carrying dead...
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    Can Anyone Recommend A Reliable, Trusted Seller of A123?

    I'll be building another pack soon - I'll document that one ( got so many project, its a time issue). The copper strip is 1/2" strip I got from Mcmaster and snip to length (I think it was 1/16" thick). You could also use 5/8" and 3/4" wide strip as well - I like 1/2". With the 1/2" strip, as...
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