I am still enthusiastic about the Eremit LiFePO4 batteries. I have a 12V 2 Ah and two with 4 Ah. I also like to use the two larger ones in parallel when I draw larger currents… e.g. for the PA.
I use the smaller one for my small CW TRX (e.g. Mini QCX,…) but it is actually always in my bag to supply the KX2, whose own battery is now 6 years old and not quite as powerful.
Recently I noticed that the buffering of the KX2 battery was not working properly. Somehow there were interruptions.
After some investigations I found that the cause of the problem was the Eremit battery: the cables there have silicone insulation. This is good and brings flexibility. The wire inside is not so flexible, however. And so a cable broke inside the insulation at the edge of the battery, which led to temporary interruptions. The test is quick. You simply twist the cable with your fingertips and see how the insulation twists and then tears.
Unfortunately I didn’t have any more flexible wires at home. So I shortened the old wires.
The battery has 2 blue covers. If you cut open the top one, you can put it back on upside down. To get better access to the soldering points, I cut off the contact tab of the middle battery and soldered it back on later.
I have the same 2Ah battery, since the length of the wires allowed for it I bent them 90 degrees across the side of the battery for stress relief, if they’re going to break they’ll be easier to fix.
The Eremit 4 Ah is a great little battery. It’s noticably lighter than the 4S1P Zippy 4.2 Ah LifePO4 it replaced. When I got it I was a little surprised at the light gauge of wire used on the output compared to the Zippy. Also, the leads appear to be terminated right at the top corner with virtually no shrink wrap to offer strain relief. Perfectly fine if the battery is mounted inside equipment, but not racking up low-cycle fatigue damage on mountain tops.
I’ve taped the leads to the side of the battery, which at least means that any issues will be easy to deal with.
