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--- electrical:12v:drop-in_lifepo4 [2025/08/28 15:09]
frater_secessus [BMS features and specs] changed order
+++ electrical:12v:drop-in_lifepo4 [2026/01/31 17:42] (current)
frater_secessus [Brands and specs]
@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 ===== choosing a drop-in LFP battery =====
-There are many factors here which only you will be able to assess.
+There are many factors here which only you will be able to assess. Basic due diligence will involve:
+  * reading and understanding the specs (see below)
+  * searching for youtube teardowns and testing on that particular model
+Shortcut:  Will Prowse has [[https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/lithium-batteries.html|a list of recommended, tested batteries]] which can be trusted.
+**Heads up**:  do not use lowest-possible-price as the main criterion for a battery unless there was a test/teardown available for it.
 ==== voltage ====
@@ Line 147: / Line 155: @@
-Capacitive balancing wastes less power since most of the excess is transferred to the low cell[s].  There are efficiency losses involved (~50%((https://www.ti.com/download/trng/docs/seminar/Topic%202%20-%20Battery%20Cell%20Balancing%20-%20What%20to%20Balance%20and%20How.pdf))) but it's far less than the 100% loss of passive balancing.  The main drawbak of capacitive balancers is the current spec (like 5A) only occur at huge deltas;  the rest of the time the balancing current is much lower.
+**Capacitive balancing** wastes less power since most of the excess is transferred to the low cell[s].  There are efficiency losses involved (~50%((https://www.ti.com/download/trng/docs/seminar/Topic%202%20-%20Battery%20Cell%20Balancing%20-%20What%20to%20Balance%20and%20How.pdf))) but it's far less than the 100% loss of passive balancing.  The main drawbak of capacitive balancers is the current spec (like 5A) only occur at huge deltas;  the rest of the time the balancing current is much lower.
+Heads up:  because active balancers are just shuffling voltage between cells they can overdischarge the cells if left alone without adult supervision.  To avoid this:
+  * use [[electrical:12v:lvd|an LVD]] to cut the circuit to the balancer's single NEG lead when pack voltage is <13.0v or some other value of your choosing. Or,
+  * choose an active balancer that has a built-in LVD.((The cutoff tends to be something like 3.0Vpc, so 12.0v for a 4S 12v pack.))  Or,
+  * only run the active balancer manually when required
-In theory inductive active balancers would get around this delta/current relationship.  [as of this writing in 2024 I know of no drop-ins that use inductive active balancers - secessus]
+In theory **inductive active balancers** would get around this delta/current relationship.  [as of this writing in 2024 I know of no drop-ins that use inductive active balancers - secessus]
@@ Line 656: / Line 670: @@
 The most popular drop-ins at various price points appear to be:
-  * premium - [[https://amzn.to/3LV85DI|Battle Born]], Lithionics
+  * premium - [[https://amzn.to/3LV85DI|Battle Born]]((but see Will Prowse's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUtbnbLpvFk|recent series on failures]])), Lithionics
   * midrange - [[https://amzn.to/3YxGPTh|SOK]], Epoch.  And there are companies like SunFunKits that will [[https://www.sunfunkits.com/category/3/pre-built-batteries|build LFP batteries with the customer's choices of options]].
   * inexpensive - [[https://amzn.to/4cfU5Pm|Li Time]] (was Ampere Time),  [[https://amzn.to/4dwItZr|Weize]], [[https://amzn.to/4fwJhiQ|Power Queen]], [[https://amzn.to/4cgSKIj|Roypow / Power Urus]], etc

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