quote:

ORIGINAL: BatteryNut

Hello, all.

The thread on the , 16s 6p a123 cells configuration is most interesting. I could use a similar pack like that for a project. But it raises several questions. I will apprecate any help.

1) Is it best to build 16, 1s 6p packs and wire all the packs in series? That would be a good idea, then a pack can be replaced if a problem occurs.

2) What happens if 1 of the cells in a pack fails and have an internal short? Will the other 5 cells in parallel try to charge it? I guess the shorted cell would get hot and vent? A cell can't short if there are others providing the voltage.

3) What are the chances of this happening? Slim to zero.

4) Does this mean I should be careful of storing cells wired in parallel? Do a123 cells always short when they go bad, or do they open, 50-50? We really don't have that much experience in the failure modes of A123 cells to give an answer on this, and the guys at A123 probably don't have a clue either.


5) How can this pack be charged? VERY CAREFULLY - Seriously again. You could use a lab power supply that you can set both the voltage level and current. That still won't take care of the balancing problem. If you have individual 6 cell packs the Bantam BC-6 will charge a 6 cell pack and balance it (balance connector is required on your pack). And this will take a long time to charge all 16 packs. If you don't balance packs frequently you could run into big problems with your configuration.

To tell you the truth, a battery this complex makes my head hurt.





Thanks for any answers,
Batterynut