Experience with EIG ePLB-FO14 Lithium Cells?

[braincore]

Here's the datasheet for them: http://liionbms.com/pdf/eig/ePLBF.pdf

Saw this craigslist post which piqued my interest: EIG ePLB-FO14 Lithium Cells - electronics - by owner - sale - craigslist

Anyone have experience with these cells? Wondering how these would compare (outside of raw datasheet numbers) to the Panasonic 2170A cells I'm currently building with (ease of building into a large pack, quality of cells).

 

[amberwolf]

How old are they? I'm not sure how new any EIG cell could be....

The C020 cells I use were all made well over a decade ago (probably closer to a decade and a half+), and are still performing usefully, but nowhere near as well as they once did; they have significant sag even under 1C-2C conditions, (they should be able to do 5C).

I have a few that have not been used by me yet (though they were used when I got them back then), and probably perform better, but age on a cell takes a toll, regardless of usage. I haven't tested them to see (they're spares for the ones I'm using).

But they *still* are perfectly balanced (thus still matched for characteristics), under load or not, full or empty, which is not something I would be able to say about any other cells I've ever used, or hardly any of the cells ever posted about here on ES.


These cells *are* easy to build into packs, easier than smaller-capacity cylindricals that may require many more parallel to equal the capacity and/or capability, *except* that cylindricals already have compression built into the design of each cell, and pouches should have their large faces compressed with end plates. Some cells don't seem to have much of a problem with not being compressed, and some simply don't work right very long without it.

The ones' I'm using are not end-plate compressed, and just have the bolted-together cell holders securing them in the stack, and those are further secured with a layer of clear packing tape lengthwise across the holders, but that is more to keep dust/etc from getting into any gaps between cells tahn anything else. Then I have a piece of thick clear plastic across the top where the busbars are.


Pack building is easier if you have the EIG holders, but if you don't, then I can take pics of the ones I have here, and you could design and 3D print some like them that fit the F014 cells (not sure if they're the same dimensions), to support the cells and make fastening down the terminals to each other easier.


Dogdipstick has some pouch-building pictures and tips here

Guides/tips/etc for building pouch cell packs?

I am interested in doing a lipo pouch cell battery for my next battery... I have built 18650/21700 packs, but this is new to me and I have had a hard time finding any sort of semi-comprehensive guide/tutorial/etc (and nothing in the stickied post). At a glance, it looks like this should make...

endless-sphere.com

and JonesCG has built some serious packs in his threads, too.


There's some info here on ES about compression, and lots elsewhere, too; a general thread

Compression of pouch cells, info/data

Advantages of pouch cells … Easier assembly. Disadvantage… Lower energy density than 18650 (usually). and they blow up. if that is an advantage or not depends on who you ask here, some people actually think that puffing pouches is actually a good thing.... :confused: I've heard that having...

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and one by a member that worked at A123

A123 20Ah Pressure Thoughts--and bits for experiments.

I thought it might be productive to start a new thread dedicated specifically to this topic. The big(moose) A123 build thread below seems to have gone quiet with the revelation of just how important it is to put at least some nominal level of evenly applied compression force to these cells...

endless-sphere.com

 

[999zip999]

Look at the base To see if new tabs have been welded on to the old cut tabs meaning have they been taken out of a pack and had new tabs somehow welded on I find that at disqualification.
As A.W. said what year are those ?

 

[braincore]

@amberwolf Thanks for the information dump! I was clueless to the compression concerns/remedy with pouch cells. Super informative posts which helped me decide to pass

Also, it's unclear how/where the owner acquired the cells, but they obtained them three years ago, which implies to me that they may be substantially older.

 

[neptronix]

100whrs/kg cells are pretty dated by this point anyway.

Will be waay heavier/bigger compared to your name brand 21700 cells.. you will be disappointed by every aspect except cycle life and safety

 

[amberwolf]

Also, it's unclear how/where the owner acquired the cells, but they obtained them three years ago, which implies to me that they may be substantially older.

AFAIK EIG hasn't been making cells (or even been around) in some time, so they'd almost certainly have to be older. I don't recall when they went away, but I'm sure there's info on that somewhere out there. The last archive.org capture of the site when it was still up was in Nov 2013 (all the ones since then are domain-expired placeholders of one type or another).

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