Replace single cell li-po battery with higher capacity - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: leadermontanus
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 01:14:23 pm
content: Hi,My question in a nutshell is, will it be OK to replace a single cell 800mah Li-po battery with a 1000mah one (exact information in links below)? I have googled and searched this forum quite a bit, but perhaps not phrasing the search correctly, haven't found a definite answer so far.Not a super expert on batteries, and definitely worried enough by warnings about li-po batteries and charging that I don't want to try charging a different battery without getting some more expert opinions.Background: I bought a cheapo Mitone handheld game "thingie" (http://archive.li/f5cgH#selection-381.7-381.13) for my son at the airport, he's now old enough to be interested, but in the mean time the battery has gone duff (yeah, my fault, I know).I see that some batteries may have charge management (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/will-this-battery-be-ok-to-swap-with-the-dead-one/msg1215370/#msg1215370) can one physically detect this? Or is it in software? Or does it not matter beyond charging only up to 800mah?The old battery is this:https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/lipo-3-7V-753040-850mAh-rechargeable_60722837740.htmlThe new battery is this:https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Data-Power-flat-3-7v-li_60104580947.html(also listed at producers website, last one:https://www.dtpbattery.com/80mah-1000mah-polymer-cells/)Max charge current is 1c for both, not sure if there are other things to look out for?Thanks for any pointers,A

author: camber
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 03:47:20 pm
content: The new cell is wider and taller but if it fits it will work exactly as the old one.As a bonus you get more capacity so it will last longer.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 04:56:57 pm
content: Most of those batteries have protection built in, it's not charge management, it's a last ditch cutout to prevent a battery from being overcharged which would cause it to catch fire. Something is wrong in the second link, either the description or the photo is wrong because the battery in the picture says 500mAh on it, not 1,000.Either way the swap should be no problem. A higher capacity battery will take slightly longer to charge but it will also run longer.

author: Audioguru
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 05:11:18 pm
content: The minimum order is a hundred or a thousand because they probably do not have any, but they can order them.The manufacturer of the new battery does not know one of the two important spec's for a battery. They say the voltage but do not say the important max protected output current which might not be enough for the amount of current your product needs.Did you notice that they show a photo for a battery with the wrong capacity maybe because they do not speeky zee Engrish???

author: leadermontanus
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 09:27:20 pm
content: Thanks for quick responses, really helpful!Some quick comments:Quote from: james_s on August 12, 2018, 04:56:57 pmMy battery is printed with 1000mAh, so the image is wrong, lots of reuse on some sites, others have it correct. I simply googled the produt number. I have found a spec sheet here, this is from a Japanese vendor. I bought these batteries in Japan, so these are probably the correct details:http://www.aska-elt.jp/products/up_img/1479280789-728432.pdfQuote from: Audioguru on August 12, 2018, 05:11:18 pmThanks for the tip re current. I found a more detailed spec sheet in the link above. Cannot see anything about max output current, just "Over discharge protection" for the voltage. However, having fitted the battery everything works OK, so I assume the output is enough for this handheld console.Tomorrow I'll try to charge it, will make sure I protect the unit in case something goes wrong...Thanks again, A