Recent content by DiggsUt

Actually I was impressed the LiitoKala was that accurate. After all, I don't care if a battery is 22 or 30. I just need to know if it is in the 20-30s range or 120s-130s.

I've found Ninja batteries to be relatively reliable in after market packs for laptops. You never know what kind of life they had by the time it comes to repurposing.

I posted the same discussion here - https://secondlifestorage.com/index.php?threads/how-much-dent-is-too-much.9907/#post-68088 I have used slightly dented (.015" max?) cells in ebike packs for a number of years and never had any issues that I am aware of. 1mm (.039") seems a bit deep to me but...

Since you have built quite a few packs I assume you are building packs for others. I've been asked to do the same but so far stayed away from building them for anyone other than family members. I'm worried about the liability of something failing and garage/house catching fire.

At least the cells are recoverable. One of my packs is epoxy potted. Everything was put together and then filled with epoxy. Great for durability. Not so much for re-usability. Not sure what happens if a cells vents.... @add - No deletes here? Sorry, didn't see this was an ancient necro'd...

I feel bad for that old pack. :cry: It got me started in ebikes. I use a 65 watt (110v) incandescent light bulb for discharge and here it is 24 hours later still glowing away out in the shed (@28°F). It appears that pack was a great first effort of mine. RIP heh....

...and Lithium batteries (if you go that route) are not the same voltage and need a special charger. Be sure you get the details correct.

Board level repairs frustrate me. Like @hbpowerwall I do computer repair and I used to struggle with replacing the power ports. Thankfully most today use a separate jack that plugs into the MB.

What problems are you having with strip? The dual pure nickle strip is the best thing I've found for mobile applications. It needs to be cleaned both sides first (I use Scotch Brite and then lacquer thinner) to get rid of the oxidation. When I do one row of cells I just cut the strip down to one...

Well then I feel pretty good about them. They were on a "guest" bike after the first year so wasn't ridden often but the rides were 20-25 miles each time. I guess the term applies they were rode hard and put away wet - heh!

It was a first effort and my construction details and the cells I use have improved greatly. It did admirable service for 4-5 years. Yes, it's being discharged (out in the shed and going to the recycler.

My very first ebike battery pack (14s5p from used laptop batteries) has had declining performance over the summer. Pull on it hard and the 45A BMS trips due to low voltage. I was going to put a 20A BMS on it for the remainder of its old age but when I opened it up I saw extreme cell leakage in...

Have you unwrapped one of them? Some cells will have labeling/writing on the steel case.

The other problem you will face pulling so much current is if you pull hard on the pack and the voltage dips below the cutoff threshold of the BMS it will shut down and leave you stranded even though the pack may still be 75% charged. Most BMSs will not reset until they see a charge current...

Ahhh - Good ideas. I may take a small 2.5" laptop drive magnet (I have a ton of them) and stick it to the cutter itself and see if that helps on my next round of harvesting. It may slow down the process too much though. I'll experiment with magnetic solutions.