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RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/14/2007 4:33:31 PM   
everydayflyer



Posts: 854
Joined: 8/21/2005
From: Buchanan, GA, USA
Status: offline 		http://www.a123systems.com/html/a123racing/rcdevkitspecs.pdf

(in reply to TheJet)
       Post #: 151

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/14/2007 6:34:48 PM   
dt1


 

Posts: 5
Joined: 2/8/2007
From: n/a, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Hi folk. I know that the casing is aluminium and that soldering is really bad, but are the centres of both ends solderable or are they also aluminum?
Thanks, David.

(in reply to everydayflyer)
       Post #: 152

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/14/2007 6:55:49 PM   
Red Scholefield



Posts: 4624
Joined: 12/8/2001
From: Newberry, FL, USA
Status: online
quote:

ORIGINAL: dt1

Hi folk. I know that the casing is aluminium and that soldering is really bad, but are the centres of both ends solderable or are they also aluminum?
Thanks, David.



Try to get them with tabs welded on. The ones from DeWalt packs have these and they can be trimmed to allow a good soldering surface or used as they come in packs of 4 by just folding the end 4 cells on each end over to make 2 2 cell sticks.

_____________________________

Red S. AMA 951
R/C Battery Clinic
www.rcbatteryclinic.com

(in reply to dt1)
       Post #: 153

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/14/2007 7:50:27 PM   
dt1


 

Posts: 5
Joined: 2/8/2007
From: n/a, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Thanks, I understand that tabs are available and are the correct approach. When they break off can anyone tell me please if the ends are solderable?

(in reply to Red Scholefield)
       Post #: 154

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/14/2007 8:24:14 PM   
madmoony


 

Posts: 10
Joined: 1/4/2007
From: Straelen, GERMANY
Status: offline 		Hello dt1,
I soldered all my cells inline.When i got them,there are no taps at the ends,just these round areas of a solderable metall(nickel?)Use some grinding paper to make some slightly wipes over the surface and solder them with ordinary solder.
Use a iron with at least 80 watt and a hammershaped end.
I have used these packs(3S2P) under hard conditions and they are performing very well.

Grz Burkhard

(in reply to dt1)
       Post #: 155

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/14/2007 8:29:16 PM   
dt1


 

Posts: 5
Joined: 2/8/2007
From: n/a, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Great. Thanks for this information. I feared the one end might be ali like lipo cells.
David.

(in reply to madmoony)
       Post #: 156

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/15/2007 6:48:56 AM   
nriedel


 

Posts: 1
Joined: 2/6/2007
From: Provo, UT, USA
Status: offline 		Got a question, I guess for Brian?: We are using 880 cells to power a streamlined (full-size) electric car to race at the salt flats. I took some batteries to a place to use a resistance spot welder to weld on longer (nickel) tabs onto the batteries, but the tech wasn't able to get them to stick very well. Are the ends of the batteries where you weld on the tabs made of the standard nickel or are they some other material? I took the tabs from a battery in for an electron spectrograph and they show up as nickel, but I couldn't very well stick the battery in to see what the battery's ends were made of . Is there some trick to getting a good weld with a resistive spot welder (lower power, etching or scuffing surface etc.) ? Thanks for any ideas you can provide.

Nick
Electric Vehicle Team
Brigham Young University

electricbluestreamliner

(in reply to dt1)
       Post #: 157

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/17/2007 6:26:45 PM   
elhepilot


 

Posts: 12
Joined: 12/18/2003
From: Espanola, ON,
Status: offline 		I have purchased batteries and charger from A123 and a Dewalt pack. I changed all the packs to 2S (side by side) configuration and so far use two sets in series for a 4S2300 mah pack. I have used them with an AXI2820/10 and the results are great. I am building a Twinstar II with two "long can" 400s and 6x4 props and plan to use an A123 4S setup.


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(in reply to nriedel)
       Post #: 158

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/18/2007 1:09:27 AM   
OCR99


 

Posts: 43
Joined: 7/13/2004
From: PLOVER, WI, USA
Status: offline 		Are you going to use a balancer or dont you think its nessesary?

(in reply to elhepilot)
       Post #: 159

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/18/2007 1:23:10 PM   
everydayflyer



Posts: 854
Joined: 8/21/2005
From: Buchanan, GA, USA
Status: offline 		Not dirrected to me but______________.

I have been using LiPoly batteies fro 3 years, I have over a hundred pack, .I have 9 LiPoly chargers and matching balancers, a CBA,and 3 in-flight data loggers . I test batteries,chargers,balancers and in-flight Data Loggers for vendors. I have a fair amount of experience with Li cells.

I have followed A123 cells for close to a year and have used them for over 4 months now. One of my 123 packs has 180 cycles on it now.

Do you have to balance them? No you do not however it is foolish not to provide for checking and balancing. I feel in most cases it is easier to go ahead and balance than bothering with deciding if it is necessary or not.


I have had a A123 pack go over 25 cycles and still be less than 0.005 imbalanced and I have seen one be close to 0.10 imbalanced after a few cycles .. Thats' 20 times as bad.

A123 Racing places balancing leads on all of the packs they build / sell. Their chargers automaticly balance at the end of charge. DeWalt 36V packs have a balancer / power management module built in to them.

If you feel luucky then do not bother to add a $2 balancing pigtail to your pack.


Charlesi

< Message edited by everydayflyer -- 2/18/2007 1:26:59 PM >

(in reply to OCR99)
       Post #: 160

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/18/2007 7:08:25 PM   
elhepilot


 

Posts: 12
Joined: 12/18/2003
From: Espanola, ON,
Status: offline 		Bought the A123 charger which has built-in balancer. You can see the leads in the photos. Purchased five balancer leads from A123 which I installed when I converted packs.

(in reply to everydayflyer)
       Post #: 161

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/18/2007 9:36:26 PM   
OCR99


 

Posts: 43
Joined: 7/13/2004
From: PLOVER, WI, USA
Status: offline 		Thank you very much for info Everyday flyer and Elepilot.Everyday flyer have read much of your stuff on 123s i have learned alot thank you
Rick

(in reply to elhepilot)
       Post #: 162

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/18/2007 11:19:42 PM   
OCR99


 

Posts: 43
Joined: 7/13/2004
From: PLOVER, WI, USA
Status: offline 		HOW GOOD IS THE ASTRO BLINKY FOR BALANCING 123S

(in reply to everydayflyer)
       Post #: 163

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/19/2007 1:55:07 PM   
everydayflyer



Posts: 854
Joined: 8/21/2005
From: Buchanan, GA, USA
Status: offline 		The original (LiPoly one) does not work with A123 cells unless you over charge them.
Astro Flight now has a A123 model.

Hyperion LBA6 (now discontinued) or Thunder power 205V or 210V Smart balancer work fine.



Charles

(in reply to OCR99)
       Post #: 164

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/20/2007 1:20:36 AM   
bradpaul


 

Posts: 21
Joined: 1/2/2002
From: Longwood, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Astro now has a specific A123 "Blinky". It works very well as there is just not much capacity above 3.6v to bleed to bring a pack into balance. Cost is great too...... about $25.00

I had used a Hyperion LBA10 before buy it needs the voltage to be above 3.7v to begin to balance. Since I got the Astro A123 "Blinky" the balancing process just takes a few minutes.

So if you are looking for a inexpensive way to charge and balance A123 packs, you can "hack" the Astro 109 to charge A123 packs for about $5.00. If you have a Nicad/Nimah charger a Lipodapter+ (Dapter) will allow you to charge A123's for $40.00. Then add a Astro A123 Blinky for $25.00 and you are set to go.

Brad

(in reply to everydayflyer)
       Post #: 165

RE: A123Racing Battery Questions - 2/20/2007 1:49:00 AM