The 30 cells in parallel provides the overall capacity (30 x ~3.4 to 3.5Ah = 102 to 105Ah ). The cells in series provide the voltage ( 4 x 3.2 to 3.3V = 12.8 to 13.2 V). You can also see that the cells are arranged in 4 groups in series of 30 cells each in parallel for a total of 120 individual cells. This makes them less expensive and provides for consistent build quality from cell to cell. Looking inside the Battleborn one can see that it uses cyclindrical cells which are the most common cell type found in lithium batteries at this point since they are more amenable to automated manufacturing processes. In this video you can see the excellent build quality and components which can be contrasted with another vendorwhich is not of very high quality. Hereis one from Will Prowse from which I was able to grab a few images for this blog. Unfortunately, this is not something we can typically do but there are YouTube videos showing the teardown of the Battleborn battery and some of the others as well. It is worth looking inside any battery that you would consider buying to understand both the quality of components and build process. The battery has internal temperature sensors so that the BMS will prevent charge or discharging outside of the allowable range. This battery can be used to supply power at low and high temperatures given its discharge temperature range of -4☏ (-20☌) to 135☏ (57.2☌) Like all lithium batteries, it cannot be recharged at a temperature much below freezing given its charge temperature range of 25☏ (-3☌) to 135☏ (57.2☌). The Battleborn battery is designed and warranted for a 10 year service life.Īs discussed in previous blogs, the BMS is an internal controller whose function is to protect the cells inside from unsafe operating conditions which includes: This compares to the typical 100Ah lead acid battery which is only capable of suppling 50Ah without damage to the internal cells for up to 450 cycles. Because this is a lithium battery with a battery management system (BMS) inside it is capable of supply the full 100Ah capacity for 3000 - 5000 full discharge cycles. The 100Ah battery I received weights 31lbs and is sized similarly to any 100Ah lead acid battery weighing more than twice as much. And, you can even stop by the factory I did if you are passing through the Reno area, but call ahead first. Unlike most of the Chinese batteries found on line, the folks at Battleborn can be easily reached on the telephone for technical support and service. While many of the components are sourced from outside the US, including the lithium cells inside which are only made in Asia at this point, the components are built to their own particular specifications. They are a US company which designs, assembles and tests their batteries here in the US. They sell the same batteries to the public with a different color casing under the brand name Battleborn. At my request, they sent one of their 100Ah batteries to me to try out as a power source for my astronomy equipment on my next trips out into the field.īattleborn makes a line of different capacity LiFePO4 batteries which they sell under the parent company name Dragonfly Energy to OEMS like RV manufacturers. I decided to visit because I became impressed with the company and their lithium batteries from my prior research. The folks at Battleborn were nice enough to give me a factory tour and answer many of my questions about their batteries. This past summer I had the opportunity to stop at the Battleborn factory in Reno, NV on my way back from 3 nights of astrophotography at a northern CA dark site.
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