Adding a BMS will be a bit of a nightmare, but of you have 4 of these it’s hard to call it a 12s1p. Easiest thing to “compare” it to is a 12s2p 40T pack, but they’re two very different things. Besides the BMS you just need to put them all in series.
I can look on youtube for lipo guides I think, maybe even the old forum might have guide. 12s2p 40t pack is pretty solid for 100 quid.
I have got this impression. Many jumpers use them, as I guess it can deliver more amps in bursts, or something. Anyway migh be a fun option to try for a small street build
@mutantbass , just wondering, i’ve heard that Lipos get easily wrecked, because of general user negligence (like not dissipating the battery enough/too much). Does adding the BMS somehow make them more long lasting/help avoid these things, or will these issue’s with them (compared to Lithium Ion) still stand regardless of whether you use a BMS? (I know BMS just regulate/balance cells, but maybe this has a positive effect on them too?)
Keep them between 3.55v/3.6v and 4.15v per cell. They will last hundreds of cycles. People discharging their lipos down to 3v and then come complain about lifespan. Take your lithium ions to 2v per cell and see what happens.
The BMS is there so you don’t have to take them out every time to charge on a Lipo charger.
Watching your discharge is really important, one for lifespan and two for charging. I accidentally discharged mine to about 3.1 volts and the charger wouldn’t read it. It kept saying, “incorrect cell count”. I had to bring up the voltage to about 3.5, through a different charging mode, for the charger to recognize the battery. I only charge to 4.15v as well and get around 20-25 miles on a emtb depending my riding style. And they have massive punch:ok_hand: the first day after getting them my board shot out from under me
Any of you guys run fuses between your lipos and VESC? Just wondering because I’m making my first board right now and confused on if I need a fuse between those, I know for sure I need one for the BMS and charge port, other then that. Got no idea where else
While we’re talking about lipo pouch packs vs other options, and since this is one of the main threads that pops up when searching “lipo”, I’d like to highlight lifespan as perhaps the biggest drawback to be aware of (other than safety concerns). Generally well treated lipo pouch packs seems to handle a couple hundred cycles, while well treated li-ion cylinder packs seem to handle 4-7x that. Depending on intended use, replacement costs should be factored into the decision.
On the other hand, as most people already know, the discharge rating and discharge curve (voltage sag) are much better for lipo pouch packs than li-ion cylinder packs.
Lipo pouch packs vs li-ion cylinder cells (18650s, 21700s, etc) is almost an apples to oranges comparison, with substantially different ideal use cases. See the battery basics thread with general characteristics of each:
Not sure if it’s mentioned further up on here but the other things to consider is getting a good dual balance charger & not go for the minimum or like me you will be buying a replacement after a few months having gotten fed up of charging each pack individually. So really you are investing in using them longer term rather than temporarily until you can afford lion.
Also, voltage alarms, they are around $5 for a basic one and are a great budget way of ensuring variance between cells doesn’t mean you end up over discharging (esc only monitors overall voltage so if enough variance between min and max it won’t start cutoff in time)
I figured that removing the case every time to charge the batteries with a balance charger would be a huge pain in the ass. So I got a BMS and a charge port so I can charge the lipos through the BMS and wouldn’t have to remove the enclosure every time
I figured the draw is so small that this would only impact of you leave plugged in when not riding? I currently balance every charge, not sure if that’s overkill