Safety/protection requirements for 'naked' blue battery

Hey All-

Looking at lots of different posts here on cases and bags for batteries, one thing I haven't been able to find is what sort of general requirements are considered normal for a blue/naked battery.

I was thinking about making a frame from aluminum angle, and possible sides with black FRP or similar glued in. 1800w peak 3500mah cells in my case, but I would be curious what recommendations people have for higher power systems.

Do I need to add some sort of padding? How hot does it all get?

Thanks, I've only used prepackaged bottle style batteries in the past.

You can seal it up tight to no ill effect from heat. You won't get full mah out of your pack the closer you get to 1800watts draw.

I bet someone posted the exact formula somewhere but if you want a full 3500mah you will run about 20% of your 1800 watts or 360 watts. When it's cold out that number goes down to more like 10% so it's to your benefit to keep the batteries warm and insulated.

Chloroplast works well as padding. Cases need to be flexible because your bike frame will bend more than you think, therefore nylon is good. I have used plywood in the past but to creaky effect.

In the pedicab world, brick packs get tightly stuffed into Pelican style cases with foam lining the case all around them. That's not necessary for someone with a gentler lifestyle than a traveling pedicabber, but it does make them ready for most of whatever misfortunes await.

My own big stack of rectangular can cells with a compression frame goes into a nylon tool bag with a thin plywood floor and a layer of thick closed cell foam on all sides. That takes up a sometimes annoying amount of my cargo box, but I don't worry about the battery. And as enclosures go, it's pretty light.

Great thanks-

So it's safe to assume that the blue brick packs are not yet waterproofed?

RyanC said:

Great thanks-

So it's safe to assume that the blue brick packs are not yet waterproofed?

Click to expand...

Wherever you can see the edges of the shrink tubing, moisture can get in. You need both mechanical and environmental protection for your brick pack. Its packaging is only suitable for shelf storage and test bench use.

It's a good idea to use a downward facing penetration of whatever box you use, for the cables to pass through. Leave a hanging loop of cable for water to drip off.

Thanks-

I wrapped it in seran wrap, cut pieces of small foam to cover all 6 sides, then again with seran, then covered it all with gorilla tape.

Got stuck in some rain the other day, lots of puddles, all good so far.