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Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 9th 20, 05:15 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
jfitch
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

It seems like a nice concept and I was recommending others try so I thought I should too.

https://www.power-sonic.com/batterie...etooth-series/

I bought the 12120 which is 12.5AH to replace my StarkPower 12AH (which after 6 years use still tests at 11.9 AH). The Powersonic is available in the typical glider sizes. You can find them at almost any price, I purchased the 12120 at Battery Web for $106. Could be had elsewhere for over $400. So shop.

What is "smart" about it? It has a BMS with shunt and Bluetooth radio, a free app for iPhone or Android gives you some basic info: voltage, current, and State Of Charge. Each battery has a unique address and the app will let you access several so multiple battery installs are possible.

I tested it though a couple of cycles with the Western Radio battery tester and some lab equipment. The voltage and current reported by the app were accurate (both reported in tenths). The SOC (reported as a percentage of capacity) was also accurate compared to actual AH drawn or delivered from/to the battery. This SOC is not a guess from voltage, but a real measurement from Coulomb counting. The AH capacity was at least as claimed (my battery ran 501 minutes at 1.5A draw, terminated at 11.5V). I flew a few days with it as well.

Why would you want this? They are no more expensive than others (perhaps less). With a couple of clicks on your phone you can determine the SOC. Also current draw, which can be useful for in situ diagnostics. One day I flew, I noticed that the voltage (reported on other instruments) was low, brought up the app on my phone and confirmed that I had taken off with it at 54% SOC - due to an operator error in charging overnight. But I at least knew I could fly the rest of the day, guessed what I'd done wrong, etc. More information is always better than less. It would be even better with a more sophisticated app, like Victron has for there stuff, but it is interesting as it is.
  #2  
Old September 9th 20, 08:43 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
krasw
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

This is just fantastic idea. What I would like to have is a bluetooth/processor chip unit that you mount on any battery (SLA, LFP, whatever), and then monitor all your batteries status via app. There is no reason to built it inside battery. Integrate fuse holder, quality connector and you have everything.
  #3  
Old September 9th 20, 01:30 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

I've been flying with the Powersonic PSL-BTL-1290 Iron Phosphate battery for about 6 months now. Same size as a 9 AHr Lead Acid battery so it fits in a Dittel battery box. It's rated at 9 AHr but tested on a Western Radio battery tester it achieves 10.4 Ahr (which is what the battery is reporting.) I especially like that it can measure and report discharge rate so you can anticipate run time. You can give each battery a unique name so that when using the app, you can select your battery from the others on the line. I've set 2 of our club gliders up with these batteries and a number of club members are beginning to use them. The battery uses a TI Bluetooth system (as determined by the MAC address) and likely a TI Battery Management Unit. As reported it the measurement system seems to be quite accurate.

Danny Brotto
LS-8/18 "P6"
  #4  
Old September 9th 20, 06:42 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
jfitch
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 12:43:31 AM UTC-7, krasw wrote:
This is just fantastic idea. What I would like to have is a bluetooth/processor chip unit that you mount on any battery (SLA, LFP, whatever), and then monitor all your batteries status via app. There is no reason to built it inside battery. Integrate fuse holder, quality connector and you have everything.


There are advantages to having it in the battery: it can report SOC per battery, the BMS is already there doing the measurements, and the cost is essentially free. However there is a device which does exactly what you want:

https://www.thornwave.com/collection...dc-power-meter

I also have one of these. One drawback is it must be powered to retain the history, so if you remove the battery from your glider you lose that history. Another advantage of having it in the battery. They are claiming to fix this in a future firmware release.
  #5  
Old September 10th 20, 12:37 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

I wonder how much of a current draw the bluetooth feature is.
  #6  
Old September 10th 20, 01:56 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 7:37:17 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I wonder how much of a current draw the bluetooth feature is.


Probably very little. If you turn on Bluetooth in your phone, do you notice much of a reduction in the battery life? And this is a much larger battery.

But yeah the only advantage of having this feature, to my mind, is the (potential) ability to monitor the individual cells within the battery. Other than that, I use a charger that tells me how much charge (amp-hours) go into the battery, and it should correspond to how long I used it in the glider.. And my current 12 amp-hour LiFePO4 battery has so much capacity relative to my avionics' needs that even if I forgot to charge it since the last flight it would still easily last for the current flight. Your situation may differ, especially if you have a transponder.
  #7  
Old September 10th 20, 05:48 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

The bluetooth feature is a gimmick. What really makes these attractive is that they are about 1/2 the price of equivalent the K2 battery!
  #8  
Old September 10th 20, 12:08 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

, I use a charger that tells me how much charge (amp-hours) go into the battery, and it should correspond to how long I used it in the glider.

What charger do you use??

Thanks

Kevin
92
  #9  
Old September 10th 20, 12:45 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

On Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 7:37:17 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I wonder how much of a current draw the bluetooth feature is.


The Bluetooth feature in the battery is BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and works by sending out small packets of data every few seconds. The infrequency of these transmission results in a very low overall current drain, probably on the order of 10 micro amps.

The phone app "listens" for these pings and can make a connection to the battery. While that connection is held, the current consumption typically goes up to the 10 milliamp range. These connections happen when the user uses the app to check the battery status. Eventually the connection is broken and the current consumption reverts to the 10 micro amps.

When the app is active on the phone, it has to constantly scan (listen) for transmitted packets so the Bluetooth is on and consuming energy from the phone battery. So yes, the phone battery is affected when the app is running.. After the app goes into the background the phone operating system typically suspends the BLE scanning so the current consumption due to the scanning goes away.

Danny Brotto
  #10  
Old September 10th 20, 02:32 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Powersonic "Smart Battery" tested

On Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 7:08:06 AM UTC-4, wrote:
, I use a charger that tells me how much charge (amp-hours) go into the battery, and it should correspond to how long I used it in the glider.

What charger do you use??

Thanks

Kevin
92


Imax B6. There are various versions, you can find one on ebay for $30 or so. It is a very versatile device, can handle batteries of various chemistries, test discharge capacity, etc. Thanks T8 for the tip.
 




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