LiFePO4 Batteries

Battery installed with 5ah FUSE on battery. Working fine. Since the BMS units can fail... and have failed on the Tenergy, it's best to fuse it on the battery.

Right now I'm testing this Tenergy LiFePo4 12.8v10ah unit on my CBA III load device. Set up to discharge at 0.8 amp. Will report tonight on how it does with a graph.

Walt Rogers WX

On Saturday, June 14, 2014 1:15:51 PM UTC-7, WaltWX wrote:
Just bought a Tenergy LiFePO4 12.8V 10ah + Charger from all-battery.com



It has the Battery Management System (BMS) with short circuit, over charge and under discharge protection.



QUESTION: Any recommendations from other glider pilots on whether I should ALSO add a fuse on the battery before installing the connector for my ship?

On Thursday, June 19, 2014 11:38:30 AM UTC-4, WaltWX wrote:
... Since the BMS units can fail... and have failed on the Tenergy, ...

Does the BMS for LiPO4 batteries do anything during discharge in flight?

Does a BMS failure during flight have any bad consequences (other than loss of electrical power)?

Here's the CBA III battery test graphic on the Tenergy LiFePO4 12.8V10ah. It rated at 9.71ah and ran for 11hours on 0.8amp draw from 13.1V to 12.7V. Dropped off in the last hour to 11.5V bringing it to 12 hours of useful life.. I arbitrarily set the cut off at 11.5V in my test:

https://dl.dropbox.com/s/xc4e0furdwn...Tenergy_L1.jpg

Walt Rogers WX

DEFINITELY have a fuse or circuit breaker right at the battery. Make sure the battery terminals are well protected too. If you're using a PS-1270 size battery the Walter Dittel battery box does both those things and makes fitting the battery for flight quick easy and secure. If only they used a connector more solid and suitable for heavier gauge wire than those goofy DIN plugs.

My ASW-15 has the battery installed in the control compartment and the only protection was a fuse on the panel. I changed that pretty soon after buying it. I also just installed a K2 battery in the Dittel box because I upgraded the vario/computer and installed PowerFLARM - figured I would need more capacity. The club gliders where I fly all have a plastic enclosure epoxied to the top of the battery covering the terminals and wires. There's either a fuse or breaker on the box and a 3 pin XLR chassis jack matched by a 3 pin XLR plug on the glider wiring and the chargers. Seemed kind of odd to me as XLR connectors aren't made for power delivery (well, except for phantom power) but the setup seems to be effective and foolproof. The XLR's are a hell of a lot more rugged than the DIN connectors our DG-505 has.

We have sold a lot of these new LiFpo batteries this year with outstanding success. No problems - everyone likes them. One important feature is they are the same size as most gliders have been using, so no special problems for installation. Our retail price is $99.95, and the special charger is cheap too.

Tom Knauff
www.eglider.org

I bought a pair from Tom Knauff. Very happy with my purchase The charger he sells is inexpensive but very high quality. Support soaring vendors who contribute in many ways to our small community.

Quick question: Does anyone know how LiFEPO4 cells work in conjunction with glider-mounted solar panels (in my case, a Strobl system on a Schleicher from the late 2000's)?

Thanks,

--Noel

The Strobl system will work, but not give a 100% charge.
Jim

It looks like there are dedicated solar charger controllers for LiFePo4 batteries like this one from Bioenno Power:

http://www.bioennopower.com/pages/12...epo4-batteries