Experience with StarkPower LIFEPo4 Batteries?

On Monday, April 29, 2013 8:57:00 AM UTC-4, Evan Ludeman wrote:
On Monday, April 29, 2013 8:08:01 AM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:


Of primary importance:

* quality of internal construction

* cells that can pass puncture / crush & short circuit tests without fire, explosion

* BMS with over charge, undercharge, current limit & cell balancing (not all do cell balancing)



Please shop carefully. There are a bunch of cottage industry companies assembling Chinese manufactured LFP tubular batteries (3.3 V / 3300 mAH are typical) into 12V and 24V battery packs with various electronics to manage them.


I looked at Stark Power. IIRC, the BMS that was offered at the time (these products are evolving rapidly) did not do cell balancing.


Evan Ludeman / T8

The Stark Website advertises a "complete" BMS (based on what I've seen from the competing products):

SAFETY:

* Internal over charge protection.
* Internal low voltage protection.
* Internal short circuit protection.
* Internal cell balancing.
* Auto Restart function.
* No presence of toxic substances.

I'm happy with my K2s, but with each instrument upgrade the glider is getting ever more hungry for battery power. So, if the Stark turns out to be as advertised, then it may be worth a switch.

FWIW: I ran a discharge test on the K2 when I first got it. Seemed to proved pretty much as-advertised capacity. Haven't checked again with about 6 months of use on it; will do that and see if it is holding up (which the specs say it should).

P3