What's The Consensus Opinion On Sony 18650??

[The Mighty Volt]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-US18650GR-Lithium-ion-Battery-Cell-Li-ion-W-Tabs_W0QQitemZ160401054915QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLaptop_Batteries?hash=item2558a5dcc3

I understand Cammy_CC is using a 18650 in his/her packs, but this is a Sony cell, with tabs.....is it any use to DIY builders, and specifically how does it measure up the A123 comparatives?

Thanks!

 

[olaf-lampe]

Lets put it simple:
You only get what you pay for.
These 18650 cells are usually 1-2C. Soldering is possible but paralleling many small cells rise the risks of failure.
Cammy also sells 26650 shaped a123 cells and packs. But they seem to be "B" -quality. ( like many other a123- offers on ebay ) Some say they are sorted out from dewalts q-control. I wouldn't recommend them for RC use or other high current applications but for an electric bike they are in the ballpark of headway performance.

Headway is still the best choice, if you aren't a solder wizard.

Here is is a pic of my a123 pack. I used soder-wick rosin SD #6 for the connections. This way the pack is still flexible.
You have to brush the battery poles before you can solder.
Olaf

 

[liveforphysics]

Used 1C laptop battery cells = fail

 

[The Mighty Volt]

That's good testimony fellas, thanks for the Heads-Up, no pun intended!!!

 

[amberwolf]

You *can* make a pack from them....but don't expect much--I'm not.

I know they'll be better than my lead sled stuff, if I parallel enough of them, but that's the only reason I went with them (and the fact that they worked out to about 30 cents each):
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=14892&start=0

They most certainly aren't comparable to A123.

 

[CroDriver]

Isn't Tesla using this cells?

 

[The Mighty Volt]

Isn't Tesla using this cells?

No...he died years ago.......

 

[CroDriver]

Isn't Tesla using this cells?

No...he died years ago.......

lol


Not Nikola, the Croatian dude. I mean the guys at Tesla motors

 

[The Mighty Volt]

Yeah I know!

Yes...I heard Tesla were using "laptop batteries" in their Roadster, but thats all I heard. I am sure they dont want to give away any secrets.

 

[CroDriver]

They do use 18650 Panasonic, Nickel based cathode electrode, silicon based anode, 3,4Ah cells for their new packs (for the "Thesla S" I guess).

AFAIK they used 2,4 Ah cells from 5 different suppliers (in a 99p69s setup) for the roadster battery pack because the cells where standardized and they could combine them

 

[ahambone]

The Telsa Motors config is 11S x 9S x 69P. So I guess 99s x (69p) is a accurate. We really need a standard for the associativity of the "s" and "p" characters in battery short-hand. To me "99p69s" implies 99 cells in parallel and then 69 of those in series - which is not what the tesla pack has.

WikiPedia on Tesla's pack:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster#Battery_system

Cheers,
--Adam

 

[grindz145]

Sony does make 18650 Konion (LiMn204) Cells that have pretty good performance. The LiCo based cells are generally too unstable for the hobbiest. I'm working on a 65V 60Ah pack made out of these type, but they have exponentially more Battery Management for safety purposes. They are still however the highest energy density cell you can get, but the C rate makes them less desirable.

 

[Lessss]

If the name Sony is attached to the product the first question I'd ask is how will using these install a rootkit on my computer?