I am putting together an Ian Canada diy streamer with a PurePi. I need to source the 3.2V 18650 LifePO4 batteries since I cannot get them delivered to Japan. I see some online that I can order at aliexpress Japan. https://ja.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-3.2V-18650-LifePO4.html?spm=a2g0o.home.search.0
They are rated at 1500 mAh. I have seen other batteries listed at 1100 mAh, 1800 etc Does this make any difference? Is one a better choice than the other? Thanks for the help.
They are rated at 1500 mAh. I have seen other batteries listed at 1100 mAh, 1800 etc Does this make any difference? Is one a better choice than the other? Thanks for the help.
Be aware that the battery market is full of lies. Many batteries fail to meet ther mAh specification, sometimes by a lot, so ones with a higher advertised capacity may actually be worse than ones with a lower but more honest capacity.
LifePO4 are pretty safe in that regard. They generally don't explode very much even if overcharged or overdischarged.
LiFePO4 is much more stable than most other lithium chemistries, but still its a lithium chemistry, so can show catastrophic failure if punctured for instance. One thing to be aware of is that some cells have built-in protection from over-current over-charge and over-discharge, other cells don't. The application may be assuming protection is in the cells, or it may provide protection itself, its important to know if you need protected cells or not.
There is guy on YouTube called "Project Farm". He tests items and is pretty good at it.
Here is the 4 year old video on Lithium ion cells.
I can confirm that the cheapo 9800 mAH cells are indeed poor and that the LG cells are
far better.
G²
With E-cigs I find that capacities above about 2000mah take much fewer charge/discharge cycles.
With above 3000mah you would be lucky to get 25 cycles.
I have a USB flashlight that uses an 18650 that has a cap that screws off like a disposable battery one. I can use it as a charger for batteries out of other 18650 powered items in the daytime.
Charger boards can be found in some e-cigs but to be safe add a 2.2 ohm resistor in series with the 5 volts. You can monitor the resistor to give an indication if the board you find does not have an LED.
With above 3000mah you would be lucky to get 25 cycles.
I have a USB flashlight that uses an 18650 that has a cap that screws off like a disposable battery one. I can use it as a charger for batteries out of other 18650 powered items in the daytime.
Charger boards can be found in some e-cigs but to be safe add a 2.2 ohm resistor in series with the 5 volts. You can monitor the resistor to give an indication if the board you find does not have an LED.
LiFEPO4 is usually lower capacity than any li-ion (i.e 3.7V). 1500mah is a fairly good chance of getting real ones but do weigh them, I have Lifepo4 from 8 years back that is way off on capacity and the weight says a lot about their fakeness
1500mAh is the correct capacity for an 18650 LifePO4 battery. However, as mentioned above beware of the brand / quality. Panasonic is a good manufacturer of Lithium batteries. There're others that're not bad, but it's hard to recommend, you know !!
1500mAh means that the battery would last for 15 hours at 100mA, or 150 hours at 10mA. Nominal voltage is 3.2V, with cycle usage between 3V (10%) to 3.6V (max). Constant current charging until 3.2V or so, then constant voltage until 3.6V. Max charging current is usually 1C, which is 1500mA in your case. But I'd recommend 0.2C (300mA) to keep the heat low and the life longer.
All the best.
1500mAh means that the battery would last for 15 hours at 100mA, or 150 hours at 10mA. Nominal voltage is 3.2V, with cycle usage between 3V (10%) to 3.6V (max). Constant current charging until 3.2V or so, then constant voltage until 3.6V. Max charging current is usually 1C, which is 1500mA in your case. But I'd recommend 0.2C (300mA) to keep the heat low and the life longer.
All the best.
