12v Lithium Upgrade Headway 38120 Cells 100a Continuous

• #2

Wouldn't using larger cells mean fewer connections, busses, simpler BMS configuration?

Seems like a lot of work for 10Ah @ 12.8V.

What is your use case?

• #4

>>
The terms QRP has come to mean low power operation and in general the term has been almost universally agreed to mean ham radio operation with 5 W or less ...
>>

I will take this to mean you are only using low power DC devices, other than your laptop, which probably means you will have an inverter. So, that sounds a LOT more than 5W.

If you are looking to get a start with LiFePO4 cells and make a battery with a useful capacity (more than 10Ah) I would think the learning curve is a lot easier with prismatic cells. You have not specified whether there are any constraints like cost or size or anything else so its hard to recommend anything specific.

Laptops generally use 80-200W when charging and running (very rough i know). Lets look at a 120W use case.

10Ah x 12.8V = 128Wh
With a 120W laptop (and factor in .85 efficiency), your runtime is less than an hour.

• #6

has the direction away from cylindrical to prismatics?

I have nothing against cylindrical cells, there are absolutely awesome uses for them (i have a dozen or so). But to create a big battery, it seems like a LOT more work to create just a tiny battery. And if your use case is bigger than a tiny battery, ya gotta do a sanity check to match what you are building to your needs/wants.

• #7

My first build 10 years ago for an ebike was using those cells. Worked great on an ebike

• #8

Those are high drain cells capable of putting out a huge amount of power. For your uses, it's overkill. It would be cheaper and more simple to use prismatic cells.

• #10

Those are high drain cells capable of putting out a huge amount of power. For your uses, it's overkill. It would be cheaper and more simple to use prismatic cells.

8Ah 38120HP is the high power one red jacket
10Ah 38120 is the high energy one blue jacket

same dimensions

I'm using three of the 8Ah 38120HP with a 4S JBD BMS in 3S configuration and it works great. It handles charging phones great. It's also good for higher amperage loads like running brushless DC motors. It also runs my peltier cooler great.

In my opinion the lower power, higher energy 10Ah 30120 cells are perfect for hobby use. Probably won't need a 120A BMS like I used, though.

• #11

by the way, i bought one these to get 38120HP cells. it arrived intact. i haven't tested it yet..

BEAST MODULE WITH 32 HEADWAY 38120 HP 3.2V 8AH 24V

Under $9.50 per cell with busbars, spacers, and metal enclosure. The Headway battery game has just officially gotten better. These modules have 32 headway cells inside and they are configured in 8s4p (24v). All you have to do to convert these into 12v is cut the busbar in the center of the one...

batteryhookup.com

All you have to do to convert these into 12v is cut the busbar in the center of the one side straight down the middle. You will then have 2 12v modules that can push 500a or more continuous each. You get copper busbars, holders, steel enclosure, balance leads for a BMS, etc. You also get a fan and a relay that you can reuse or remove easily

It's 300usd for 32 cells 38120HP. ~10usd / 8ah cell.

This is the easiest entry point to headway that I know of. Please don't drop a wrench on it. Wrap the wrench in electrical tape. Wear goggles take the busbar off before cutting it in half XD if you do that..

i have also bought the new 38120HP cells for 13usd/8Ah cell and i think those are really overkill for <100W load for 4 cells. the blue jacket 38120 non-HP one should be good for that.

This is the link for the blue jacket 38120 cells from battery hookup. I have not bought or tested the blue jacket ones yet because I have been focusing on high power capability.

New Headway 3.2v 10ah 38120 10c

We only have a few boxes left of these. If you order 8 you will get the original box as shown in the 2nd photo but if you need just a few they are just $15 each and they are brand new. We don't expect to get any more of these new so get them while they last! Here are brand new in the original...

batteryhookup.com

• #12

If you want to try 25Ah 4S then these cells might work for you

https://batteryhookup.com/products/new-3-2v-25ah-lifepo4-topband-navitas-prismatic

I have 6 on the way for a project. People around the forum have mentioned that the topband 25Ah cells are decently good quality (Electric Vehicle grade, not used in a car before). They are like the cute small version of Frey/Fortune 100Ah cells. Those are awesome too, but that's getting way past what you originally scoped out.

• #13

People around the forum have mentioned that the topband 25Ah cells are decently good quality (Electric Vehicle grade, not used in a car before).

I have a 4s pack made of those in my son's Peg Perego electric ride on car, it's been through 50+ cycles at over 2c, and is still balanced within a single millivolt. My BMS only activates balancing when the pack is 14v or more, and I only charge it to 13.8v, so it's never been balanced either, except for an initial top balance.

nelsonsincy2000.blogspot.com

Source: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/headway-10ah-38120-thoughts.26666/

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