So I couldn't resist upgrading my 120 amp hour lithium for one of the below batteries from Ali express which packs 320 amp hours in the SAME SIZE BOX.
Yes it's a no name but I figure that if I paid by PayPal and I have a battery capacity tester and the unit itself has a WiFi BMS that reads out the voltage of each individual cell I pretty much can't go wrong.
Any deficit in capacity or imbalance of the individual cells and I claim refund. Blurb says A1 new prismatic cells and built-in balancing capability.
Interestingly Banggood was $300 cheaper yesterday for a unit of exactly the same spec but a slightly taller cap on the box (but still more expensive) and prices are exclusive of GST. Mind you Ali express gives 19 dollars off for new users so just use your wife or something if you are already registered.
We shall see but this should run my fridge forever in my TS.
Also certainly powerful enough to obliterate the whole boat in very short order should it go into runaway :-).
Gday Jules - I reckon inside are the EVE 320 AH cells. 4 of them will make you a nice battery. You can get the cells for about $430 with shipping, but you needa BMS as well and that will cost up to $200. What is the max current? I can't find the ad, I will take the plunge soon into Lithium but not quite yet. The golf cart batteries are still hanging in there.
At least you are cognisant of the fact it might get very hot very quickly.
Please keep us up to date with your experience.
Select to expand quoteToph said..
At least you are cognisant of the fact it might get very hot very quickly.
Please keep us up to date with your experience.
When you don't see any posts from me anymore you'll know it got too hot :).
Select to expand quoteKankama said..
What is the max current? I can't find the ad,
a.aliexpress.com/_mtI9WqG
They say maximum discharge is 250 amps which is good for me because I have a powerful electric cabin top winch to lift the keel and the mast.
Strangely the ad has changed a little since I ordered yesterday. The slick little movie wasn't there and a whole bunch of other specification pages were all of which I took screenshots of just in case something doesn't measure up when it arrives.
It gives you a bit of confidence when they say you can have up to four batteries in series or parallel (not that I will) because a lot of manufacturers say their batteries can't do that.
3, 4 or more cloudy or rainy days shouldn't worry me in the slightest when I have this in place.
If you want discounted lithium with some level of creditability, have look at the recommended products on
off-grid-garage.com/
You could make a up a 314ah LifPO4 battery with BMS for just over $600.
A
Select to expand quoteAndrew68 said..
If you want discounted lithium with some level of creditability, have look at the recommended products on
off-grid-garage.com/
You could make a up a 314ah LifPO4 battery with BMS for just over $600.
A
Good link, thanks
And by the way the Volt X battery which I bought a year ago has been no good and nor has Woolworths marketplace that I bought it through.
I have found the battery at below three volts twice which should never occur due to the BMS and furthermore during charging at a slow rate a siren alarm went off inside the thing indicating that charging was cutting out due to some problem presumably overheating. The battery was being charged very slowly on a 7.5 amp charger and was only half full.
This brand is certainly not worth the price and yet somehow it is sold at a premium to the super cheap ones. The supposed protection for buying through Woolworths is also useless as they simply refer you to their supplier who is non-responsive, ask a ton of questions and then delays doing anything. The battery is also flat out making 115 amp hours when it is supposed to be 120.
Search
"Lithium battery tear down test volt x" on the web or on face book
Out of the cheap domestic batteries Kings seems to come up ok sometimes, but most of the others are junk.
That is bad news Jules. I was wondering about the Woolies batteries.
I like watching Will Prouse' Youtube channel. He does lots of tear downs of different batteries. One that got good recent reviews is the Li time . Good quality and price point. He tore down a 100AH version and liked it.
Re: the Kings lithium - I was looking at one on the weekend for my camper. 100Ah for $300, but by the time I'd done enough reading to be somewhat convinced that I may not be wasting the $300, the sale was done. Or so I thought.
The price seems to come from a random number generator.
Sunday was $300. Monday was $500. $300 Tuesday. $350 Wednesday. Didn't Check yesterday. $300 today.
At $300, it's hard to beat, unless it's complete junk. Especially with 'local' stores that I can walk into, if I need to deal with a return etc.
But I'm sure it'll be $500 tomorrow.....
Select to expand quotedamned67 said..
Re: the Kings lithium - I was looking at one on the weekend for my camper. 100Ah for $300, but by the time I'd done enough reading to be somewhat convinced that I may not be wasting the $300, the sale was done. Or so I thought.
The price seems to come from a random number generator.
Sunday was $300. Monday was $500. $300 Tuesday. $350 Wednesday. Didn't Check yesterday. $300 today.
At $300, it's hard to beat, unless it's complete junk. Especially with 'local' stores that I can walk into, if I need to deal with a return etc.
But I'm sure it'll be $500 tomorrow.....
I don't think there is anything wrong with Kings but I think the ones they sell for $300 are pouch cells rather than prismatic cells.
Select to expand quoteKankama said..
That is bad news Jules. I was wondering about the Woolies batteries.
I like watching Will Prouse' Youtube channel. He does lots of tear downs of different batteries. One that got good recent reviews is the Li time . Good quality and price point. He tore down a 100AH version and liked it.
That is a little small for my cat. I would like 200AH with a 200 amp BMS so that we can run the food processor/cooker thing as well as other stuff. I could get this 200AH 200 amp version for a good price on Amazon.
www.amazon.com.au/LiFePO4-Lithium-Battery-Lifetime-Trolling/dp/B0BQXGYBSV?th=1
But I wait, and keep waiting. If I don't look like getting a new job next year then we are off cruising. So I will need new lithiums by the end of the year but I keep waiting and the Trojans will not die.
It seems that good deals come and go so it doesn't pay to be in a hurry although I think you need to strike when you see a good deal.
Yes I like Will Prouse's videos but of course he is in the USA and we can't always get the same stuff sold under the same name or at the same price.
I think a lot of these Chinese battery manufacturers make running changes all the time according to who's BMS ... is cheapest at the time etc so just because something was tested six months ago doesn't mean it's the same now.
Select to expand quotejulesmoto said..
I don't think there is anything wrong with Kings but I think the ones they sell for $300 are pouch cells rather than prismatic cells.
Yes - they're 'pouch'.
Can the brains trust provide a simple pouch v prismatic, esp with respect to use in a camper trailer that's generally on powered sites?
I really only run my fridge (73L) and LED lights. An AGM would be fine, given weight is less of a concern, just that AGM vs 'cheap' lithium are not really different.
Select to expand quotejulesmoto said..damned67 said..
Re: the Kings lithium - I was looking at one on the weekend for my camper. 100Ah for $300, but by the time I'd done enough reading to be somewhat convinced that I may not be wasting the $300, the sale was done. Or so I thought.
The price seems to come from a random number generator.
Sunday was $300. Monday was $500. $300 Tuesday. $350 Wednesday. Didn't Check yesterday. $300 today.
At $300, it's hard to beat, unless it's complete junk. Especially with 'local' stores that I can walk into, if I need to deal with a return etc.
But I'm sure it'll be $500 tomorrow.....
I don't think there is anything wrong with Kings but I think the ones they sell for $300 are pouch cells rather than prismatic cells.
Exploding lithium stories from cars, tools and E bikes are not relevant for boats. Lithium polymer batteries can catch fire, but Lithium Phosphate ones do not. So car fires with Lithium polymers are not a worry for us - unless you are silly enough to put a NIssan Leaf battery in your boat.
Select to expand quotedamned67 said..julesmoto said..
I don't think there is anything wrong with Kings but I think the ones they sell for $300 are pouch cells rather than prismatic cells.
Yes - they're 'pouch'.
Can the brains trust provide a simple pouch v prismatic, esp with respect to use in a camper trailer that's generally on powered sites?
I really only run my fridge (73L) and LED lights. An AGM would be fine, given weight is less of a concern, just that AGM vs 'cheap' lithium are not really different.
Well prismatic is definitely heavier.
Pouch are said to be more fragile to shocks.
Some sources also say pouch have a shorter lifespan. It seems that Kings only claim 2000 cycles whereas most prismatic cell batteries claim considerably more.
Pouch are probably ok but I just don't like the idea of a heap of welded plastic pouches containing a liquid or gel-like substance. It just seems to me that there has to be more potential for cell failure if a weld is not good or if any of the many thin plastic pouches rupture/spring a leak and allow electrolyte to flow around inside a sealed electronic device which has heaps of wiring, lots of other cells and a BMS. Rupture could for example happen due to the boat pounding or a vehicle/trailer repeatedly hitting bumps, chafe or even some component inside there coming loose and puncturing a pouch.
