Seems to be working again now. Though with DNS prop it might still be down in other countries for a little longer.
Re: Eco Worthy, I am unsure if they do small battery packs. I think their stuff is mostly the big, chunky lads for RV’s, caravans, general batterynessness stuff.
I use this one for my FT-891 and FT-290R with a choice of linears. It is handy because it has the nice barrel plug thingy so you don’t have to use the screw terminals all the time. It’s also an anvil so not for SOTA (unless you are @K6ARK ).
Sometimes Eco Worthy stuff pops up on Amazon too. They also do packable solar panel kits for camping (as well as bigger kits for caravans etc) so could be an option for longer SOTA trips, multi-day etc?
I’ve a 6ah Eco Worthy as well as a backup. No issues with any of their gear to date but realise it might not be what folks are looking for. Just offering options as batteries are a pain to get hold of.
There’s no belief involved. They are significntly safer than LiPo. A major reason is unlike LiPo cathodes, Oxygen in the cathode material in LiFePo cells cannot be easily released. This Oxygen released when LiPo start to burn is what causes thermal runaway and fires you cannot put out.
The fact is that my type of SOTA activation has changed in recent years. Before having children, I had more free time and aimed to do as many activations as possible during the year, often with long hikes and significant elevation gain. LiPo batteries: lightweight and compact were ideal.
In recent years, things have changed: fewer activations per year, but with more time spent on air. S2S events or evening activations. Since I do less of it, when I have the chance to do an activation, I binge!
In my latest activations, I’ve always brought three 2.5Ah lead-acid batteries.
So a capacity of around 10Ah should be ideal. That said, it’s probably better to have two 5Ah batteries, if one fails during an activation, there’s always the second one to save the activation.
Here is a video of someone “puncture testing” a variety of 100AH LifePO4 batteries. Not something that we would do, but I suppose it could happen to Lithium batteries in a car in a crash situation! His comments about the poisonous gases that come out at pressure when some of these batteries were punctured, should be noted.
My point is that a Lithium battery in any mixture (Lithium-ion, LiPO, LifePO4 etc.) can be dangerous if not handled with care and respect.
Lead-acid batteries and LiFePO4 batteries are not directly comparable. The voltage of a LiFePO4 battery only drops significantly at the very end of its capacity. Therefore, more of its capacity can be used compared to lead-acid batteries.
I would recommend buying a 4S LiFePO4 battery with a BMS. Connecting two 2S batteries in series will result in the loss of some protection. Connecting them in parallel is usually not a problem.
Already answered and no, the fire risk is massively reduced with LiFePo. Of course all stored energy devices have some danger.
As the US FAA say in DOT/FAA/TC-16/17
“In general, of all of the lithium-ion cells that were tested, LiFePO4 would be considered the
safest cathode material because of the relatively low temperature rise and the resulting low
likelihood for thermal runaway to propagate. LiCoO2 and LiMnNi would be considered the most
hazardous because of the relatively large temperature rise and high probability for propagation of
thermal runaway to adjacent battery cells.”
i.e. fire risk is much less with LiFePo than LiPo cells.
What do you mean ? 2x2S or 1x4S is the same, it’s 4 cells in series. The BMS is not really needed if you think about unplugging your battery pack after an actviation (no over-discharge protection). Then for charging I use a balanced charger, so no need for a BMS, or ?
I was only considering weight savings for the same capacity. LiFePO batteries certainly also have higher efficiency compared to lead-acid ones.
I’m thinking of buying them with a rigid casing and Faston connectors. I didn’t think it was possible to connect them in parallel. I prefer to use them as they are sold, without wiring them in series or parallel.
I assume that LiFePO batteries don’t have a storage voltage like LiPo batteries and don’t suffer by memory effect, so there shouldn’t be issues with storage voltage or leaving them below full charge for a long time. I also wonder whether it’s good practice to keep them a store when fully charged.
A good BMS serves not only to balance the individual cells.
It also incorporates various protection circuits.
However, not all of these are effective in a series configuration.
Protection against:
Overcharging
Deep discharge
Short circuits
Overload
Overtemperature
Low temperature
Cell balancing
With a BMS, you need a charger that has only two terminals and a charging termination voltage of 14.4 V. The BMS then has an internal connection to each cell; so, simply connect the positive and negative terminals.
This is an extremely disingenuous video. If you don’t know why then you probably shouldn’t be allowed to use pencils but be limited to soft crayons only so you don’t hurt yourself.
You understand these were tests for the Fire Service? No I didn’t think so! Been several really bad house fires recently involving Li-Po batteries that have cause fatalities!
).
