Last year I was intrigued with adapting stock power tool batteries for my first ebike conversion. I ended up putting together this Makita Lithium Manganese tool pack setup, which has worked well for the last 6 months.
My 48V/18AH setup is bulkier and heavier than a comparable Ping battery, and using the stock Makita chargers for multiple batteries is a bit of a hassle. I will probably switch to a lighter system, perhaps LiPoly, for my next conversion.
The DeWalt A123 tool packs initially seemed very attractive, but expert members like GGoodrum were having problems with DeWalt cells getting out of balance due to poor BMS and charger design. Other battery packs based on LiMn chemistry may have advantages compared to A123. DoctorBass has written extensively on favorable traits of LiMn cells -- apparently they have few balancing problems compared to A123, can be abused more (10C discharge, 5A charge), have higher voltage per cell (3.7V vs. 3.3V), and may be cheaper and more readily available.
Here is a thread on LiMn by DoctorBass:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2764&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Konion&start=15
[...I note that DoctorBass recently has bought some Ping LiFePO4 batteries...]
The 36V Milwaukee packs may be the most popular LiMn tool pack for use in stock configuration. Several members have ordered connector blocks from Milwaukee and made nice systems based on the stock packs and chargers. Apparently, they are also rather bulky and heavy compared to a regular pack. The Bosch 36V LiMn came out after I was already committed to the Makita, but the Bosch packs are considerably cheaper than the Makita. Connector blocks may not be available for Bosch, but members have made their own adapters.
Connector blocks are available for the 18V Makitas. The Makitas are widely available, and are carried by Home Depot in my area. These packs can be connected to allow easy experimentation with different voltages (e.g. 36, 48, and 72V). This flexibility made them more attractive to me than the bulkier 36V packs.
Here is the 18V Makita connector block I used:
I bought these from The Sandwich Shoppe (vendor for Solid State Lighting):
http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?products_id=1115&language=
The metal tabs are screwed into the base plate, and I soldered wires to the tabs.
I mounted the adapters onto plywood, and ran 10g wires from each battery to a 30 amp fuse block. The anderson connectors are useful for changing the output voltage/configuration.
View attachment 2
Here are the batteries mounted inside the carrying case.
Here are the batteries and chargers.
Each 18V battery contains 10x18650 cells configured as 5s2p. The battery apparently has no BMS, but has a temperature fuse.
My 48V/18AH setup is bulkier and heavier than a comparable Ping battery, and using the stock Makita chargers for multiple batteries is a bit of a hassle. I will probably switch to a lighter system, perhaps LiPoly, for my next conversion.
The DeWalt A123 tool packs initially seemed very attractive, but expert members like GGoodrum were having problems with DeWalt cells getting out of balance due to poor BMS and charger design. Other battery packs based on LiMn chemistry may have advantages compared to A123. DoctorBass has written extensively on favorable traits of LiMn cells -- apparently they have few balancing problems compared to A123, can be abused more (10C discharge, 5A charge), have higher voltage per cell (3.7V vs. 3.3V), and may be cheaper and more readily available.
Here is a thread on LiMn by DoctorBass:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2764&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Konion&start=15
[...I note that DoctorBass recently has bought some Ping LiFePO4 batteries...]
The 36V Milwaukee packs may be the most popular LiMn tool pack for use in stock configuration. Several members have ordered connector blocks from Milwaukee and made nice systems based on the stock packs and chargers. Apparently, they are also rather bulky and heavy compared to a regular pack. The Bosch 36V LiMn came out after I was already committed to the Makita, but the Bosch packs are considerably cheaper than the Makita. Connector blocks may not be available for Bosch, but members have made their own adapters.
Connector blocks are available for the 18V Makitas. The Makitas are widely available, and are carried by Home Depot in my area. These packs can be connected to allow easy experimentation with different voltages (e.g. 36, 48, and 72V). This flexibility made them more attractive to me than the bulkier 36V packs.
Here is the 18V Makita connector block I used:
I bought these from The Sandwich Shoppe (vendor for Solid State Lighting):
http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?products_id=1115&language=
The metal tabs are screwed into the base plate, and I soldered wires to the tabs.
I mounted the adapters onto plywood, and ran 10g wires from each battery to a 30 amp fuse block. The anderson connectors are useful for changing the output voltage/configuration.
View attachment 2
Here are the batteries mounted inside the carrying case.
Here are the batteries and chargers.
Each 18V battery contains 10x18650 cells configured as 5s2p. The battery apparently has no BMS, but has a temperature fuse.
